Feb. 19 - Day 54

We're In Houston!

Friday Racing

We flew out of Ft. Lauderdale on Friday afternoon and arrived in Houston around dinner time today.  We're just going right on by the Thursday card where I was A 2nd place finish, that's right one, out of five selections.  Just couldn't get a sniff of a winner.  But after spending the evening with the family my Mom & I went back to the hotel and I checked out the Friday results......MUCH better!  Right off the bat in the opener, we were going a mile on the turf in a claiming event.  Cracking Good Pins had earned Beyers of 77, 79, and 79 in three of her last four starts and those beat EIGHTY of the eighty-two career numbers earned by her rivals.  She'd won twice locally and was dropping in class here.  She pressed the pace, made her move into the turn, edged to the front and I expected her to pull away but it was a dogfight to the wire....but she held on in a narrow win. 

The nice 2/1 price allowed me to kick of the day with a $15 collection.  In the third I Believe I Can looked much the best and was bet down to 3/5, but was SO far back that the belated rally left him fifth.  As I've written many times, in handicapping it's all about the match-up, today, in this race that makes the bet.  The 4th was a maiden claiming sprint for 3yo and Mr. Changue was the 7/5 program favorite off of three runner-up finishes from three starts.  Both of his last two figures beat the best the field could offer and he'd pressed a :44 and change half last out.  The crowd saw the same thing and made him the prohibitive 1/5 chalk.  Right to the front and L-O-N-G gone for my second winner on the day. 

I missed in the 6th in a surprising result where BL's Wagon was sent out by trainer Larry Pilotti who was a 44% winner with horses in claiming events.  She looked much the best but was a distant 4th at 9/5.  I missed in the 10th with what was the consensus "bet of the day" - Shug McGaughey's Complicated running on the turf with Javier Castellano.  Evenly to the wire after having every chance to run by the field at even money.  But I closed out the day when trainer Jorge Navarro sent out My Little Darlings in the finale, a nw2L claiming turf sprint.  She was first off the claim and those have been winning regularly for Navarro.  Sat off the leaders into the turn, and just as I thought she had no where to run a seam opened, she burst through and kissed the field good-bye for my third win from six selections.  A GREAT way to kick off the Houston weekend!