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05-20-14 10:24PM
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tuck
Super Rockchucker

 

Registered: Dec 2005
Location: St. Thomas, North Dakota
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Belmont Stakes

California Chrome will not win the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown.

Ride On Curlin won't win the Belmont, either. Nor will Intense Holiday. In fact, the only way Intense Holiday finishes in the top three will be if only three horses enter the race. (OK, that's phrased a little bit strongly...I know...it's horse racing and any horse can win it...and I am no expert on horse racing...just shooting off here)

Ben Tucker
(hoping I can still edit this post after June 7th)

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05-21-14 07:22PM
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tuck
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A little history:

Before WW I, a French veterinarian did a ton of research and wrote book about predicting a young foal's ratio between speed and stamina. This was the ONLY thing he was predicting. The algebraic number he then assigned to the foal became known as Dosage.

To equate it human terms:

If a mathematician was asked to predict the adult height of a newborn baby, he would get the height of the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. He would give those heights a weighted score and give it a very good guess. Just height. One thing. One thing only.

Dosage became a pretty good indicator of a foal's future. The higher the number, the more the foal will have speed. The lower the number, the more the foal will have stamina. (Secretariat is considered the perfect blend and he was at 3.00) North American horses mostly are born with a Dosage over 3.00 or higher. This leads to more sprinters and milers...which is what we mostly race. European horses mostly are born with a Dosage of 2.60 or lower. They tend to have much longer races.

Dosage became a fad in the 80's. Because it was determined to be fairly useless in predicting winners of most races, the fad faded. Breeders and buyers, however, still track Dosage.

So here's the deal:

FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS, EVERYONE WILL BE WONDERING IF CALIFORNIA CHROME CAN HANDLE THE LONG DISTANCE (1 1/2 miles) OF THE BELMONT STAKES RUN ON THE SANDY TRACK.

Here is the unfortunate answer: No. Unfortunate? Yes, unfortunate. Cheering for this horse is easy. His working class owners and elderly trainer are great. Finally getting a Triple Crown winner after waiting since 1978 would be great. I'd love to see this horse win. Unfortunately, he won't.

No winner of the Belmont Stakes in the last 11 years had a Dosage above 3.00. California Chrome is at 3.40. Ride On Curlin is at 3.44. Intense Holiday is at 3.80.

In the last 30 runnings of The Belmont, only 4 winners had a Dosage over 3.00 and I'm pretty sure 2 of those where juicing.

In recent years, several very good horses did not finish in the top three at what many call The Test Of Champions. Lots of these loses could have been predicted by the horses' Dosage. (Will Take Charge 3.33, Freedom Child 4.09 last year; Dullahan 4.20 and Optimizer 3.24 the year before; Nehro 4.33 and Shackleford 3.62 the year before that; Game On Dude 3.67 and Ice Box 3.36 the year before that...all went on to be outstanding race horses)

I'm not sure who is going to win (and I probably won't be sure until the race is actually over), but I'm pretty sure who is going to lose: Chrome, Curly and Intense Holiday.

It will make for a great betting day.

Ben Tucker

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05-21-14 11:12PM
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jhcurl
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Registered: Sep 2002
Location: US - CT
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Old time training and an old time trainer. Chrome might win this. This will be his 12th race. He has not been babied like so many of the more recent youngsters. He has the training and racing that makes a triple crown possible. I just don't see any of the others liking 1.5 miles on Big Sandy. They will be running so slow that Big Red would beat them and you would need a calendar to figure out the spread.

I am the most happy that the suggestion to dumb down the triple crown was thrown out in a heartbeat. Accomplishments in sport should be hard.

Betting against Chrome will be the only way to make money. Boxing the Wood Memorial horses is not a bad play. Still lots of time and not sure who is running yet. One thing for sure, there will be 100k+ people there and the TV ratings will be very good.

JH
at least no one scolds me for these posts

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05-22-14 08:48PM
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tuck
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Location: St. Thomas, North Dakota
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If the NFL draft feed from his home when Michael Sam got drafted made you uncomfortable, you might wish to reexamine you comfort level with such scenes before watching The Belmont Stakes...just in case Kid Cruz wins.

I didn't have a problem with the now famous Michael Sam footage, but since I turned 30 I became much more of a Live And Let Live kinda person.

Kid Cruz is, by far, the most interesting horse currently scheduled to run in The Belmont...and for many reasons.

The Kid is owned by a very nice married couple named Stephen and Rick. One might think that the masculine world of horse racing might not be ready for an openly gay couple, but they seem to have been readily accepted. They've been a committed couple for many, many years and were married in Washington DC a few years ago.

The story of Kid Cruz goes on:

He is trained by a female trainer. Linda Rice was born in Racine, Wisconsin and raised in Pennsylvania where her father was a horse trainer. Linda is extremely bright and dang pretty.

A female trainer has a tough life. She never gets the really good foals and never gets the super-rich clients. Rice built her stable the hard way. She began by racing cheap horses on short turf sprints because the competition was weak. Then she deepened her stable by getting good at claiming undervalued horses in claiming races. Kid Cruz was a claimer last year for $50,000.

I was really surprised when Linda Rice entered Kid Cruz in the Preakness when his bloodlines so obviously point to the Belmont Stakes. It was a brilliant move, however. The lightly raced horse (missed the Wood Memorial with a stiff shoulder) needed the exposure to the large crowd and another quality start. Linda probably would have worked him hard last weekend anyway...to train him for the long race on Big Sandy.

I was equally surprised when the horse ran very poorly. He dropped well off the pace (as he always does), but did not finish very fast. For just an exaggerated workout, the jockey really got after him. The horse does seem a bit lazy. Most of his workouts feature the exercise rider needed to push him fairly hard.

The son of past Belmont winner and noted stamina influence, Lemon Drop Kid, this horse can run all day and all night. Just not very fast. His Dosage Index is 1.50 (with a Distribution Factor of +.50) and that looks to be just too slow to win this race. His highest Beyer Speed Figure to date is just a touch too low according to the Belmont's history. If the odds are right, he could be a great longshot or that horse that makes the trifecta and superfecta pay off big.

Ben Tucker

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05-26-14 10:04AM
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jhcurl
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Registered: Sep 2002
Location: US - CT
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Intense Holiday won't be running in the Belmont Stakes. He broke a leg during a workout. Not bad enough to be put down but will undergo surgery to fix. There is hope he can actually race again.

JH

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05-26-14 03:42PM
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That bums me out. Mostly because I don't like hear about horses getting injured...or worse.

I'll have to admit that it also bums me out because Intense Holiday was not a horse that worried me in the Belmont Stakes. I know-that makes me selfish and shallow. Still, it is another reason that I didn't want to hear it.

Ben Tucker
not totally self-centered nor terribly shallow

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05-27-14 05:44PM
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jhcurl
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Intense Holiday came out of surgery well. Will be retired.

Candy Boy will also skip the Belmont Stakes. I think that takes us down to 10 or 11 runners. Throw out Ride on Curlin and that leaves Samraat, Wicked Strong and your Triple Crown winner California Chrome.

I think he does it. Hopefully it will convince other trainers to run a horse more than 3 or 4 times before the Derby. CC is basically a 4 year old at this point based on his number of races and experience.

JH

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05-30-14 10:48PM
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I believe that Belmont Stakes Day will be filled with some wild payoffs for exotic bets. If I am right, for a change, and neither California Chrome and Ride On Curlin win the Belmont Stakes...Pick 3's and Pick 4's could pay off into the four or even five digits.

I'd really like to hit the trifecta on this one. Hitting all three trifectas in all of the Triple Crown races would probably go on my tombstone. If I had half a brain, I'd box 7 of the favorites just so I had bragging rights.

I won't be doing that. I will box 4 or 5 horses for the trifecta and superfecta, but Chrome won't be in the boxes. I'll be foolishly tossing money away in a futile search for that really big payday.

I will also be looking at the other races on that day in the hopes of scoring a Pick 3 or Pick 4. While I truly think that Chrome and Curly will lose the Belmont, I don't trust either of them to stay off the board and not finish in the top 4. I'm not real experienced at this, but it seems to me the best way to cash in on my strong feeling that these favorites will lose is to bet the other races in conjunction with the big stakes race.

Lots of really good fields entering the other races. It should make for an interesting day and a real workout for my limited brain. I do enjoy the exercise.

Ben Tucker

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05-30-14 11:18PM
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The horse that concerns me most in the Belmont Stakes is one that retired from racing in 2004. He can't run in this race for 3-year-olds, but he has two sons entered. The horse causing me concern is Tapit.

Tapit was a mediocre racehorse. He did OK at some sprints and did win the Wood Memorial before getting 9th in the Kentucky Derby. Because of his excellent bloodlines (father Pulpit, grandfather AP Indy, great-grandfather Seattle Slew who is also a grandfather of California Chrome AND Tapit's mother was a daughter of Unbridled), Tapit has enjoyed life as a stud.

Tapit's stud fee has been fairly low. Lots of his kids, however, have been winning some big races so it will probably go up...especially if one of his sons wins The Belmont. Untapable, the best 3 year old filly, is his daughter. Constitution, who won the Florida Derby, is his son; as was Hansen and Normandy Invasion.

So here is my problem with Tapit: None of his many, many children have ever really wanted to run one step past a mile. Some have won at 1 1/16 and even 1 1/8...but they've all been basically milers. Most of them have been wicked fast; but all of them faded at the classical distances.

When beginning his career as a sire, Tapit was not bred to the best female lines and the best females. They went to more proven stallions and ones that won more races back in their racing days. With some successes by his daughters and sons, he is just recently has been bred with top broodmares.

Therein lays my problem: Tonalist and Matterhorn are entered for The Belmont. Tonalist looked awesome winning the Peter Pan Stakes a couple of weeks ago. Matterhorn is better bred than most Tapit colts. Both colts are catching the eyes of those who watch and time workouts.

I've decided that I'll have to see it to believe it. Until a Tapit progeny wins at 1 1/4 or longer, I'll not be betting on them for the 1 1/2 mile Belmont.

Ben Tucker

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06-01-14 09:21AM
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Matterhorn is entered. I'm not sure why. I suspect that when you pay over $600,000 for a yearling, you're gonna enter him in some stakes races and you probably can afford the entry fee.

He's a son of Tapit and Winter Garden. Tapit was a terrible bleeder. When he was trying his best, he'd bleed out of his nose and his mouth...even when on Lasix.

Winter Garden was a very good sprinter at the track in Woodbine. That's right: She was a fast Canadian chick. We have all been told to stay away from fast Canadian chicks.

I don't think Matterhorn has a chance unless all of the other horses fall down. Even then, I don't think he could get better than third.

Ben Tucker

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06-01-14 09:41AM
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Location: St. Thomas, North Dakota
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Matuszak is a new name to me. When Kid Cruz was exploding onto the scene, Matuszak was finishing second or third in those races.

He's the son of Bernardini who has become famous as a very successful sire. Lots of his offspring became winners. Before that, he was the answer to a sad trivia question: Who won the Preakness Stakes that bleak day when when Barbaro broke down?

His mother is out of Mr. Prospector. "Out of" is breeding jargon for "daughter of". Mr. Prospector was a great sire and a brilliant source of stamina in bloodlines. Lots of recent Belmont Stakes winners have Mr. Prospector in their family trees.

I don't know what to do with this horse. I know he'll be running hard at the end of this marathon and I have to respect that. I don't think he'll win. I don't think he'll finish in the top four. Long odds and greed, however, may change my mind in the next six days.

Ben Tucker

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06-02-14 12:55PM
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curlny
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Registered: Dec 2005
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NY Times reporting over the weekend that California Chrome had a blistering workout and looks fresh as a daisy.

Forcast is intermittent rain through Thursday, then dry and warm Fri and Sat. Should be fast track.

CC will be tough to beat.

__________________
JL

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06-03-14 01:45AM
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Wicked Strong will win the Belmont Stakes this Saturday.

How I will bet this I have not yet figured out. California Chrome may finish in the top three and he'll be in everybody's trifecta box along with Wicked Strong, so I'm not sure that the trifecta will pay very well. It might be the Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5 that pay out huge numbers.

JHcurl has been invited to watch the race live from the owners' box. An acquaintance of his has a share in some horses running on Saturday. Lucky man, that JH.

Close Hatches will win an extremely good Ogden Phipps Handicap (1 1/16 on dirt for fillies and mares 4 years old and older). I like Normandy Invasion's chances of upsetting Palace Malice and Goldencents in the Met Mile.

I'll confess my tickets before racing. I hope the hot streak continues, but the chances are not very good. I think I'll be throwing a lot of money away in the Pick 3 with lots of combinations. I cleared it with my wife. I'll also be putting together expensive 5 or 6 or 7 horse trifecta and exacta boxes excluding Chrome and Ride On Curlin on the off chance that both of them fail to crack the top three. Again, I have my wife's permission.

For those without your spouse's permission to do stupid things: Assuming that you have $30 that you don't really need and want to enjoy the race at some fun Off Track Betting place-go to the window and say, "Belmont...Race 11...$10 win place show...number (insert Wicked Strong's number which I will give you on Thursday)".

Ben Tucker

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06-04-14 01:15PM
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AlanMacNeill
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Chrome gets the 2 post, and is installed as the 3-5 favorite.

gotta be honest, you're likely to get more profit out of buying a $2 "win" ticket and framing it for a souvenir if he pulls it off than you are in hoping to cash with those kinda odds.

Ride on curlin will be breaking from the 5 hole...at 12-1, I like him...I really like him.

I think I'll bet a theoretic scotch on the rocks on the Trifecta of 2-5-4 (Commanding curve). It feels right, and hey, why not?

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06-04-14 04:25PM
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jhcurl
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Registered: Sep 2002
Location: US - CT
Posts: 1431

For those that care or are following along, here are the post positions and ML odds.

1. Medal Count (20-1)
2. California Chrome (3-5)
3. Matterhorn (30-1)
4. Commanding Curve (15-1)
5. Ride On Curlin (12-1)
6. Matuszak (30-1)
7. Samraat (20-1)
8. Commissioner (20-1)
9. Wicked Strong (6-1)
10. General a Rod (20-1)
11. Tonalist (8-1)

Chrome hits the board. Is it 1, 2 or 3 is the question? If you believe he will win then the only way to make money is to bet big on the nose, $100 to win would return you $60.

If you think he finishes 3rd or worse, box the 4,5,7,9 in an exacta. 12 units (bets) at your favorite denomination. Minimum payout would be $60 on a $2 bet.

If you think he finishes 2nd not sure there is money to make. All with 2 exacta would be $20 bet. 9-2 exacta probably pays $10, the rest might break even or better.

JH
probably won't be betting except to get a souvenir

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06-04-14 11:21PM
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Here is how I think it will go:

Tonalist, not CChrome, will take the early lead and set fractions of 24.0 and 49.0. Chrome and Matterhorn will be right with him.

The second group will be led by Samraat. Ride On Curlin, General A Rod, Wicked Strong, Medal Count and Commissioner will all be right behind him in a knot. Trailing early will be Matuzak and Commanding Curve.

After they have gone a mile, Matterhorn will be the first one to fade. As they get halfway through the last big turn, Medal Count and Ride On Curlin will not respond when their jockeys ask them to move up.

At that point, Wicked Strong will make his move and this is where the race will be won or lost: Chrome has been called a "push button" horse as if he has a NOS (nitric oxide use by car nuts) switch. His jockey will push the button and no response. Wicked Strong will go by him and Tonalist will then be the horse to beat.

Tonalist is the son of Tapit, but from a mother that is the highest quality mare that ever bore a child of Tapit. IF this high quality mother passed on any stamina genes at all, Tonalist will answer the challenge and blow the field away. If he doesn't, it will be the last time I ever bet on a child of Tapit over 1 1/8 miles.

As Matterhorn, California Chrome and Ride On Curlin fade (and maybe Tonalist), Commissioner will be conceded the second spot behind Wicked Strong. Samraat and General A Rod will dig deep to hang with Commissioner while Commanding Curve comes storming forward on the outside.

Wicked Strong wins with Commanding Curve surging for second. Commissioner grinds it out for third while Samraat guts it out for fourth over General A Rod. Medal Count comes in an unnoticed sixth while Chrome and Curly get seventh and eighth. Tonalist gets ninth (or first) while Matuszak gets tenth. Matterhorn fades to dead last.

Ben Tucker

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06-04-14 11:30PM
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tuck
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Registered: Dec 2005
Location: St. Thomas, North Dakota
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So here is my stupid bet:

First, why it is stupid. I'm on a hot streak with hitting the trifectas in both The Derby and The Preakness. If I was smart (and I'm not), I would box up most of the favorites (including Chrome) and try to get all three Triple Crown Trifectas. Unfortunately, I see the opportunity for a really big ticket.

From my research, I think it is possible that both California Chrome and Ride On Curlin both fail to finish in the top three. I figure that it is 50/50. If I am right (which is not a common event), there is a 50/50 chance for a really big trifecta ticket.

So I will be boxing Wicked Strong, Tonalist, Commanding Curve, Commissioner, Samraat and General A Rod. A six horse trifecta box at $1 costs $60. That's getting pricey for me, the possible return is just too tempting.

The better wager will be in the Pick 4 and the Pick 6. Those will be better because even I have to admit that Chrome or Curly are great horses who can break up my trifecta. I truly don't see either winning, however.

Ben Tucker

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06-04-14 11:50PM
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Samraat-mediocre breeding with stamina over speed. Not very fast but has the most heart of any horse in the nation.

California Chrome-bred cheaply by great working class guys. By far the best horse of all the 3 year old, but probably running his worst distance.

Ride On Curlin-son of Curlin from a Storm Cat mare. Storm Cat's offspring tend to inherit his speed along with his nasty disposition. They can be hard to handle and this one is no different.

Wicked Strong-named after the Boston Marathon Bombings. He won the Wood Memorial with a brilliant stretch run and finished fourth in The Derby.

Matuszak-decent horse who has spent most of his career getting beaten by Kid Cruz. Kid Cruz opted out of the Belmont and Matuszak probably should have followed him. Bred for speed, Matuszak isn't even all that fast.

Commissioner-bred to win this race. His father, AP Indy, won The Belmont. The mother is from Touch Gold who also won The Belmont. Commissioner is not a fast horse, but he can run all day.

Tonalist-son of Tapit and out of a very classy mare who was the daughter of the great Pleasant Colony. A miler like every other Tapit colt or is this one made of better stuff?

Commanding Curve-second in The Derby at long odd and that made the trifecta pay big. Bred for distance, he showed more than enough speed in the stretch run of the Derby to be considered a favorite by me...but a generous 15 to 1 on the morning line.

General A Rod-tired badly in the Florida Derby making him look like a poor bet to me...then he was finishing very strongly in The Preakness to get fourth. I have no idea what his horse is going to do. One thing I do know is that his mother was out of Dynaformer so he should have the stamina.

Matterhorn-a speed horse without much speed. He's another son of Tapit, but not from a high priced mare (a daughter of Roy who was also a speed horse)

Medal Count-probably the most interesting horse in the field and one that really scares me. Medal Count is bred to run all day and he is also pretty dang fast. The problem is that he seems to run his best races on grass turf or poly/synthetic surfaces. In his three races on dirt, he got beat by a lot and then a whole lot and then a whole lot plus some. Most turf horses HATE the sandy surface of Belmont Park's dirt track. Medal Count has been training great on the dirt surface at Churchill Downs, but I don't see him liking the sand.

Ben Tucker

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06-05-14 12:12AM
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Registered: Dec 2005
Location: St. Thomas, North Dakota
Posts: 2613

Because even I, the most negative of all people concerning the chances for Chrome, have to admit that he'll could easily get into the top three: The trifecta might not pay very well. Most bettors will "box" their trifectas and if Chrome is anywhere in the top three the payoff won't be that great. Some wise people like JHcurl conserve money by keying their top pick, but most box their trifectas.

The Pick 4, however, could pay really big. You need to pick the winners of 4 straight races starting with the Ogden Phipps for fillies and ending with The Belmont Stakes. Most people pick 2 or 3 horses in each race. Because that gets expensive, they look for a race that they can "single" a horse...only taking one for that race.

While the Pick 4 might pay pretty dang good if Chrome loses, the Pick 6 will be a whopper. You are allowed to bet the Pick 4 at $0.50, but the minimum for the Pick 6 is $2. That really keeps people from selecting more than a horse or two in each race. Everyone (except me) will have Chrome in their Pick 6. Getting six races correct can be either really hard or really expensive. Picking six horses in each race would cost literally tens of thousands of dollars. Two horses in each race costs a couple of hundred bucks.

If Chrome loses...and I think he will lose...the Pick 6 will pay some people a fortune.

I'll post my Pick 4 and Pick 6 selections once I figure them out and set a budget.

Ben Tucker

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06-05-14 07:22AM
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Willy
Drawmaster

 

Registered: Dec 2005
Location: New York
Posts: 592

numbers

For the number players, Tucks numbers are 4-7-8-9-10-11.

Leave Samraat out at your own Risk, Rick V Jr. has a special breakfast being prepared for ( by a special dr. er I mean Chef) Samraat.....

__________________
We'll see you on the Ice! Willy

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06-05-14 05:13PM
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tuck
Super Rockchucker

 

Registered: Dec 2005
Location: St. Thomas, North Dakota
Posts: 2613

More predictions: The exacta will pay $500 on a $2 bet because Chrome will not get higher than fourth place. Now that's a little bold. If you are dumb enough to bet money you can't afford to lose, then you are probably dumb enough that you'd eventually lose it anyway. Don't bet heavily on my thoughts. I'm an idiot and know way more about curling than I do about horses; and I don't know all that much about curling.

I am smart enough to take Willy's words of wisdom and keep Samraat in my trifecta box. Samraat does not, however, make it to my Pick 4 selections. I need to limit my picks somewhat because I'm not made of money.

I am playing with the House's money because of The Derby, so here are my Pick 4 ponies:

Just A Game mile of turf for older fillies: Ready Signal, Coffee Clique, Discreet Marq or 1, 5 and 9

Met Mile: Palace Malice, Normandy Invasion or 1 and 9

Manhattan Stakes 1 1/4 on turf: Imaging, Boisterous, Five Iron of 1, 5 and 7

Belmont Stakes: Commanding Curve, Commissioner, Wicked Strong, Tonalist or 4, 8, 9 and 11

I dropped Ready Signal for my Pick Six because it plays only at $2 and that gets expensive quickly with multiple horses in each race.

So those horses above make up my Pick 6 along with two more races.

In the Ogden Phipps Stakes I am ignoring both favorites and only picking (singling in race track lingo) Close Hatches who is number in race 7.

In the Acorn (race 6 which is a mile on dirt for 3 year old fillies) I'm taking Sweet Reason, My Miss Sophia, Artemis Angoria or 5, 8 and 9.

Really pricey ticket, that Pick 6 stuff. If it wasn't ill-gotten gains from a previous wager, I don't think I could spent that kind of money. That's like enough to go bonspieling.

Ben Tucker

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06-05-14 05:27PM
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tuck
Super Rockchucker

 

Registered: Dec 2005
Location: St. Thomas, North Dakota
Posts: 2613

Horses I really like:

Ground Transport and Norumbega in the 1 1/2 mile Brooklyn Handicap

Havana and super long shot Financial Mogul along with Social Inclusion in the Woody Stephens.

Sweet Reason at 10 to 1 in the Acorn and Close Hatches looks like a lock in the Ogden Phipps

Coffee Clique in the Just A Game Stakes

Normandy Invasion to upset Palace Malice and Goldencents in the Met Mile. I also look for super long shot Broadway Empire to get on the board in third or fourth.

Five Iron at 15 to 1 is great value although Imagining will be hard to beat. Looks like a 2 horse race to me.

Commanding Curve looks like the best value on the board at 15 to 1 in my uneducated eye. If you're just having fun, $10 win/place/show could pay pretty well for your $30 wager. Then again, Willy likes Samraat and he's 20 to 1.

I am partially ashamed to admit that I've spent hours upon hours studying these horses this wet spring. Farming sucks and I'm trying to step away from curling and the mental exercise has been extremely enjoyable. With my luck, the sun will now shine and I'll not get to wager a single dime. Oh well, it was the exercise that was most rewarding.

Ben Tucker

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06-05-14 05:37PM
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tuck
Super Rockchucker

 

Registered: Dec 2005
Location: St. Thomas, North Dakota
Posts: 2613

Andrew Beyer just picked my top choice, Wicked Strong, to win the Belmont. That will cut the odds and the payoff in half. Dang him all to heck.

Ben Tucker

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06-06-14 03:49PM
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jhcurl
Super Rockchucker

 

Registered: Sep 2002
Location: US - CT
Posts: 1431

I will probably end up not betting at all. We have been invited to attend and actually will have a very unique experience. Rather that hanging out in the grandstand wearing a tie and sweating, we will be hanging out on the backstretch and the barn area. Our friends have an NYRA license and run horses at Belmont so the behind the scenes areas will be our venue. Should be a complete blast. Not sure if we can get to the secure barns before the race but certainly will get pictures after the race.

JH
a completely different view of the racetrack

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06-07-14 01:31AM
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tuck
Super Rockchucker

 

Registered: Dec 2005
Location: St. Thomas, North Dakota
Posts: 2613

I did get my_bets in. I'm not yet certain that is a good thing. Oh well, it will tomorrow at least interesting if, most likely, expensive.

I did one change in my Pick 6 ticket. Mike Watchmaker, handicapper for The Daily Racing Form, pretty much said that anybody who was banking on Close Hatches in the Ogden Phipps Stakes is an idiot. You already know I'm an idiot. I know I'm an idiot. But proving it to Watchmaker is a different story.

So I dropped Five Iron from my Pick 6 (he is still in my Pick 4) and added Princess of Sylmar. The ticket was already stupid expensive, so just adding another horse was not an option.

A couple of trifectas on the undercard could save me, but if California Chrome wins the Belmont it will cost me money. It's the house's money from The Derby, but it is still money.

Ben Tucker

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