Saratoga Cup Classic XIV Daily Recap

[cherokeescot]

Day 1

The field is in line and they’re off at Saratoga. It was as if the government was giving away free money as we saw a last minute flurry of entries for the biggest prize pool in the competition’s history. Whoever wins this contest will certainly have to show some Grit and Glory ($7.70) as evidenced by Elk and those well seasoned campaigners Sammy the Sage and Onion as the Linda Rice trainee fried the opposition to take away the first in an exciting finish. Diablo , unlike Beetlebomb, just got his selections in before the noon deadline but might be wishing he didn’t as his selection of Price Talk was much the best in the second but was DQd to fifth in what might be an Eternal Summer ($12.00) for the Saratoga stewards. Palace Avenger ($6.30) was able to ward off Carrizo on the third which was the last straw for several of our group. It didn’t take long this year for the fireworks to start and Escape Fund ($71.00) put Diablo and BertConvy at the head of the leaderboard after a graphic debut in the fourth . 

Big Engine ($28.80) came steaming home and took care of the fifth despite a leaky cup holder but the story of the race was a thorny tale as the winner earned no dark money for our group in Nueva York. In the sixth only Badactor had the inclination to take the favorite Propensity ($6.20) who delivered a knockout punch to the Sir Chubby backers at short odds. It was an Ortiz brothers 1-2 in the seventh but the only ones shouting for Pecatonica ($25.00) were the 2,195 inhabitants of a village in Winnebago County, Illinois , several of whom had traveled by RV to Saratoga in the slim hope of watching the race. In the Schuylerville (easy for me to say) Maumeeriverangler decided to make mischief by having a Dayoutoftheoffice ($41.00) which certainly gave him beautiful memories of the first day of the contest. 

Bert Convy was having a picture perfect day and took sole possession at the top of the leaderboard after the Peter Pan when Country Grammer ($10.20) somehow managed to outduel the popular Caracaro in the stretch much to my disdain ! In the finale we all failed to make a Secure Connection ($5.80) but those of us who had Jose Ortiz in the West Point contest won’t bear a grudge as it brought him his third winner of the day. 

[tenfurlongs]

Wow, cherokeescot is already in mid-season form. Nice recap!

TW

[diablo313]

Awesome - can we hope for these prose for the entire meet?!

[cherokeescot]

Well I’ve got nothing else to do 😜

[cherokeescot]

Day 2

First Friday of the meet saw yet another record breaking attendance despite the rainy weather . In the first Go Poke The Bear was the popular recommendation  but the legit route to get some cash was to make a Counter Offer ($41.00) . It’s only the second day of the contest but Bert Convy is already skewering his fellow competitors and his total handle is now well over three figures after Kabob ($41.80) fired home in the second ,  no doubt to be followed by some Friday beers at the Convy household. Contest host Ten Furlongs is hoping to put in a first rate performance this year and Universal Payday ($11.80) set him on the right track in the third. Those of us looking to Pick Up The Fone for a satisfying customer experience in the fourth were out of luck as Junior Alvarado decided to just Leaveuwithasmile ($6.70) . It might be Too Early ($6.20) to say who is going to be second in the trainers race but Linda Rice has made a great start as another of her horses won by open lengths in the fifth.

Surprisingly Badactor passed on Vintage Hollywood ($13.20) in the sixth as Irad Ortiz Jr rode his tenth beaten favorite of the two day old meet ! In the seventh DBLakers got off the mark as Viadera ($14.40) once again proved that the other, other Chad Brown horse is the most profitable betting angle . Grommet and Nan53 both took a dip with Guacamole in the eighth but when the chips were down it was the Lady Lawyer ($3.60) who got the verdict. Hezethebest could not be blamed for picking a long shot for his first selection in the contest but Slimey never ran a step in the ninth proving that hezetheworst as Indian Pride ($6.00) made it three in a row for Chad Brown much to the joy of the cheering throngs. Our group piled on Frozen Account in the finale but he never got out of the blocks and we all lost our Cold Hard Cash ($5.70) but it doesn’t take much to see that our little problems don’t amount to a hill of rice in this crazy world. 

[bertconvy]

CS,

..."Friday Beers" at the "Convy house" tonight, came up with this link FOR YA...

Enjoy.

#It's_EARLY !!!

Good Stuff.

B.

[cherokeescot]

Enjoyed it. Those were the days. When will we see their like again ?

[spiderjohn]

Met them as their 1st lp was released---too tough partying for me but the girls all loved them.....
They opened for a Detroit band The Frost--small but very prestigeous club
Allmans started first set with the opening tunes of that 1st lp--left everyone speechless with the twin leads
Dicky lives in Sarasota/Bradenton where he jams with Kettle of Fish occasionally
Greg would get loaded and arrested regularly in the area
Butch Trucks had a jam band that played in a serious dive bar
Atlanta Pop 1970--I believe that they played 5 sets in 3 days + extra players--watched every set

Duane and Dicky-----as good as it gets
Those were the days!!

[cherokeescot]

Day 3

Saturday at Saratoga and give the devil his due , Diablo has put himself in with a hell of a chance of winning after Momos ($15.60) made the rest of the field look like dumplings in the opener. Winning Factor ($11.80 ) played the grinch in the second but Doctor Disaster was happy unlike the backers of odds on favorite Mr. Kringle whose race ended with a resounding donk ! Get Smoking was a popular choice in the third and with a very enterprising ride by Jose Ortiz gave his supporters a big thrill when trying to go wire to wire before being caught late by Decorated Invader ($2.80) who chalked up a first win in the contest for Forego. Jose Ortiz has started the meet like a Chicago resident with all guns blazing and win number six in the fourth had both Beetlebomb and Maumeeriverangler Jump for Joy ($11.40). It was a stroll in the park for Oak Hill ($5.80) who set an easy pace from the get go and never stalled to take the fifth. 

In the sixth Zippy Baby ($18.40) had the right stuff to sink Nautilus and make contest host Ten Furlongs a happy camper. The seventh ended up with another forego(ne) conclusion as 1/2/3 ran 1/2/3 and Indypacer got on the board with Yaupon ($3.60) which must have made tourney leader Bert Convy look over his shoulder with concern. Being a big Sean Connery fan , I can’t believe I missed out on Shalako ($27.80) in the eighth but obviously not many others in the forum remembered this western either - even with Brigitte Bardot ! PartsNut put his computer program to work to come up with Digital Age ($4.90) in the ninth which also gave Forego his third winner of the day. In the tenth the favorite was in bad shape from the beginning which helped Paris Lights ($6.00) finally give SpiderJohn a winner after some close calls and made it a four timer for Forego ! Nothing closes the evening better than a Midnight Whiskey ($7.20) and TimS and SpiderJohn were able to raise their glasses to the winner of the finale while the hopes of the rest of us were well and truly scotched ! 🥃

[cherokeescot]

Day 4

Sunday at the Spa and although the card was less than stellar it did manage to attract roughly the same number of fans as Saturday maybe encouraged by the offer of free picks by yet another numbers guy on the UIC forum. BTW if anyone is interested there is still plenty of swamp land available in Florida , please contact me for further information on 1-800-MADOFF. Wire transfers, checks, bitcoin and IOUs from Spanky’s bookie all accepted. Maumeeriverangler has already hooked a couple of nice winners and he landed another one in today’s opener when Bustin Shout ($14.40) showed some stones in the stretch to fight off (almost literally) the rest of the field. The winner also spiced up the day for Sammy the Sage and Jacckk8 ( Glad you stopped at two ks Jack or we would be Dukeing it out. When Larry said you liked the sheets I thought he was talking about Ragozin.)

Veteran campaigner Deep Sea ($4.70) took the second but none of us dived in as Jose Ortiz swept the early double. Bert Convy is still In Front ($7.20) in the contest and his lead was unchanged after the third race. Nan53 and JolyB were desperate for a winner so decided to Release The Thunder ($4.20) in the fourth. Hopefully lightning will strike for them next week at a better price. Was up all night sweating on my selection for today but sadly Mischievous Dream ($12.20) in the fifth was not it. For those of us thinking the Financial System ($5.90) is broken you have to consider first and foremost that it is trained by Chad Brown so it will come through as it did in the seventh. Can’t believe contest contender Diablo missed out on Lucifer’s Lair ($7.10) in the seventh. What the devil was he thinking ?

Speak to me of Summer ($11.60) was a popular winner of the Lake Placid showing no clemency to his rivals much to the joy of Bitowisdom , Shoes and Ten Furlongs. Here’s another Bitowisdom for you. Favorites have now won the finale for the first four days of the meet as Control Group ($6.10) duly obliged in the tenth. 

[jacckk8]

Love it!

[diablo313]

Devilishly good ;-)

[cherokeescot]

Day 5

The first Wednesday of the contest and some may say it is too early to make a Snap Decision ($2.70) but Doc and Propro did just that to get their day off to a jump start. One of the most enjoyable things about writing the recap is finding out more about the names of the winners of each race. For example until today I didn’t know that a wickster , as defined by the Urban dictionary,  is a “silly little f#*ker”. Well in the second race Jacckk8 was the only wickster brazen enough to pick Wickster’s Dream ($13.20) and was handsomely rewarded for his enterprise. Cross Border ($2.60) won the third as easily as a 1-5 shot should and had it rapt up early, much to the relief of jockey Jose Ortiz who did not have to face twitter accusations that he blew it again.  In the fourth Brees Bayou was a popular choice but drew badly , suffered a tenderfoot and eventually got lost in Rome in a race where the evil Yankee Empire ($14.40) prevailed. 

Maxwell Esquire ($4.10) may have got some love from high office but nobody from our group selected him to come up trumps in the fifth. I hate it when people exaggerate but as I’ve said a million times,  one seemingly crazy pick can put you right to the top of the contest leaderboard and no doubt Otis and Propro will be enjoying a summer bourbon or two tonight after longshot Manifest Destiny ($92.50) got it just right in the sixth. Maumeeriverangler has made a great start to this year’s tournament and netted another one when Crescent Lady ($22.00) showed sHezethebest and landed the seventh as Propro was just kept waiting from a remarkable treble. A few courageous picks in the eighth but most of them were junk and no one was able to correctly map out Colonel Liam ($19.60) while TimS70 proved to be a Singular Sensation ($6.70) in the ninth. A nail biter of a finale went to Mani Pedi ($32.00) which had the record breaking crowd shaken but not stirred.

[cherokeescot]

Day 6

The second Thursday of the meet and still no selections from Spanky but given it was National Gorgeous Grandma Day I’m sure he had more pressing engagements to focus on. In the opening chase it was a sweet victory for Moscato ($5.40) who had to be at his optimus prime to win the AP Smithwick. Meanwhile Thomas Shelby ($6.50) , who surprisingly was running without peaky blinders , had no fans on the track or on the board when he wondered in to take the second.. Christophe Clement is having an outstanding meet and thanks to another peach of a ride from Joel Rosario he was skipping in to the winner’s circle again after Plum Ali ($7.80) pulled out the victory in the third. Fresco ($3.00) shout out of the gate like a dixie cannon to add to the Frenchman’s delight in the fourth. Irish Front ($9.50) outpointed Instinctive Rhythm in the fifth and it was joyous times for Clement and Rosario fans again when Simplicity ($13.80) won the sixth.

Bertranda ($6.70) , French Reef ($4.90) and Admiral Lynch ($16.80) took the next three and on a day when Irad Ortiz Jr had five winners it looked like our illustrious group would have zero until JolyB assured us a modicum of Financial Stability ($3.80) in the finale where 56-1 shot Principal Dancer almost pulled off the upset for DBLakers.

[cherokeescot]

Day 7

It’s the second Friday of the meet already and for the six contestants who have not submitted a pick yet I have some good and bad news for you. The good news is that we still have a long way to go , the bad news is that you are only $190.60 behind the leader Bert Convy and in the history of the tournament only one person has ever blown a lead like that (Isn’t that correct GAM ?) Anyway hands up ✋ all of you who enjoyed TimS70 Odd Couple video today . Fortunately for Indypacer in the opener Assume ($3.70) only made an ass out of the competition. Kinky Sox ($5.20) had the opposition all tied up in the second while in a very chalky start to the day Peaceful ($4.90) got Partsnut off the mark in the third.

I’ve been NO POLITICS my time waiting for Malarkey to run but sadly he never got out of the basement in the fourth but nevertheless l will Stay Fond ($10.60) of him. Irish Constitution ($9.00) handled the field in the fifth but Bert Convy , Cherokee Scot and Elk would have been hoping for something like the 15-1 morning line to be sure. Any hint of bitterness from Bert Convy soon dissipated and our current leader must have been overjoyed to see Lovely Lucky ($41.20) romp home in the sixth. Meanwhile Magnolia’s Lady ($13.40) took the cake in the seventh which was just what Doctor Disaster ordered.

Pedalcar was getting ready to escape to his chateau on Mount Travers but he had to strike that plan after Cerretalto ($11.20) displayed considerable free enterprise to zoom home in the eighth . Everyone and their dog was on Flap Jack in the feature but he was sadly battered into submission and Turned Aside ($6.50) by an old chestnut shouting fore left. Lots of selections in the last but the day ended with a donk for all but Bitowisdom and the amazing Bert Convy as Operative ($17.40) proved to be the key word.

[cherokeescot]

Day 8

For a second Saturday at the Spa today’s card was less than inspiring and I for one was distracted by what was going on at Ascot and Del Mar. Still it would have paid to have A Little Faith ($7.50) who showed some elegant zip to weave past the favorite to take the opener. Midnight Surprise ($5.80) was monificent in winning the second and we all gave The Ballston Spa a pass as Starship Jubilee ($8.20) turned on the phasers to spoil the return of odds-on SisterCharlie. No one got the Spanish Point ($7.80) in the fourth after which it was definitely time to stir up a brew. However PartsNut was happy when Three Outlaws ($14.80) took a Phlier and bolted home like a Freak in fifth. Don Juan Kitten ($12.00) made it a purfect day for Madame Blum in the seventh while locally owned Prioritize ($6.90) made the money moves in the eighth.

TC and Cruzan have made a sluggish start to the tournament but they finally put it into Turbo Drive ($36.60) in the ninth and will now probably be Irad fans for life. Only four runners participated in the Grade 1 Vanderbilt where Volatile ($2.80) was never in danger of screwing up PartsNut’s victory celebrations. Surprisingly despite having both the leading trainer and jockey involved none of us went on a Timeless Journey ($8.00) in the finale on a day that will be more remembered for the passing of Peter Green and Regis Philbin than the racing at the Spa.

[cherokeescot]

Day 9

Week 2 is now in the books and our resident illustrator / handicapper Bert Convy has etched out a triple figure lead but if a week is a long time in politics six weeks is a long time in handicapping and no lead is unassailable in this game And I’m not giving up hope yet. (all I need is two 50-1 shots to overtake him). In the opener Johnny B used his well tried advanced strategy and came up with the winner and all he needs now are a few More Like It ($11.00) . Cherokee Scot’s new strategy of coming up with illustrations to match his selections (aka The Convy Theorem) worked out in the second race when Effenity ($4.20) opened his legs and showed his class in the stretch. Surprisingly there was no Mandate ($17.80) for an 8-1 Pletcher/Ortiz winner in the third and The Great Dansky ($3.50) attracted no fans in the fourth. Outadore ($15.80) was out of favor in the fifth as the “other Wesley Ward horse” play came out on top again in an impressive debut.

Bitowisdom was the only one to use both logic n reason to come up with Witez ($10.00) in the sixth to solidify his top ten leaderboard status. Turffan got off the mark in some style as Competitive Saint ($31.80) breesed by the opposition in the seventh. Happy Saver ($4.20) looked an impressive 3yo in the eighth but not impressive enough to warrant a single selection from this audience and although Somelikeithotbrown ($19.60) not apparently on this forum . In the finale Indypacer restored some respect to the group via a nice Turn of Events ($8.40). 

[cherokeescot]

Day 10

Week three started off with Bill Mott’s birthday on Wednesday and the excited crowd at the Spa were expecting the customary Bill Mott birthday winner , forgetting for a moment that this is 2020 when normality has gone out the window. In the opening steeplechase while the rest were anticipating a gaye breeze Jacckk went the Tracy Chapman Route and took a Fast Car ($10.60) to the winner’s circle. Big Al’s Gal was a very popular selection in the second but sadly our group were left Whistling in the Dark ($49.40) for the next several races as Five Alarm Robin ($16.80) , First Line ($26.80) , Classic Lady ($4.10) and Pete’s Play Call ($6.60) found no takers.

Thankfully Solidus1 was Ready for Prime Time ($24.60) in the seventh where Ghoul did not have a ghost of a chance. Phlier Freak and SpiderJohn brightened things up with Danny California ($6.80) but sadly Bitowisdom must have been on California time as his winning selection came in an hour past the deadline. So no return for him as that’s what you get for Breaking the Rules ($8.70) who took the ninth. After starting the day with a fast car it was only appropriate that the finale would be won by Zero to Sixty ($16.20) and Doctor Disaster, SBWest and Beetlebomb were along for the ride.

So that is the end of the first quarter and BertConvy has a big lead but he still must be looking over his shoulder as he still could be caught and Spanky has 400 unused picks from the previous 10 tournaments.

[bertconvy]

[cherokeescot]

Day 11

It was a very chalky start to Thursday’s proceedings at the Spa with the favorites winning the first five races resulting in an early pick 5 payout of a meager $66.00. It was definitely a grumpy UIC group today after striking out at Goodwood in the morning and missing out on their Sugar Fix ($5.40) in the opener. SpiderJohn tried to right the ship with some Unrelenting Force ($5.50) in the second but the next three winners Foxtail ($6.60) , Our Lady of Loretto ($3.40) and Rinaldi ($5.40) had no appeal to those of us trying to cut into Bert Convy’s massive lead. 

PhlierFreak had the only other winner on the day and will be hoping for More Mango ($10.80) as the meet goes on but on a day when the highest priced winner was 8-1 there was no interest in Fed Funds ($18.20) and it was soon time for this Funny Guy ($6.40) to say Adios Amigos ($10.20) , let’s have better luck tomorrow. 

[diablo313]

I don't like chalky, chalky is no fun....

[cherokeescot]

Day 12

Friday at the Spa is normally the opportunity for me to put on my Stylish Rags ($7.40) go to the track and party at Siros but thanks to COVID-19 , it’s no way Jose, this year. Most of us punters complain about the one that got away after a longshot wins but not MaumeeRiverAngler who landed the big one today in Vincero ($53.00) which has now elevated him to second place on the leaderboard less than one more big fish away from the illustrious Bert Convy. In the third Solidus went back to his Latin roots and his heart was lifted by Sursum Corda ($4.10) but surprisingly none of us formed an Unholy Alliance ($15.20) in the fourth. Quick Call had an excited feeling in the fifth but that soon went away and he was Incommunicado ($9.10) for the rest of the day unlike Ozzy who. Was dialed in to that one. Zealous ($11.40) had no takers on National Time to get Gnarly day and none of us were on Dynadrive ($6.10) either in the seventh where Bad Beat Brian lived up to his name.

No one used the Eid (as they say in Scotland) to come up with Jewel of Arabia ($4.20) in the eighth and She’s My Type ($10.40) was not our type ( Shippy being the consensus pick of the day )  as the amazing run by Christophe Clement and Joel Rosario continued. In the finale several went for Hurricane Breeze but on this occasion he petered out and it was  Ocean Fire ($23.00) who was in his element. By the way for those other nature lovers out there I recently subscribed to an Insect Identification app but now they won’t stop bugging me ! 

[cherokeescot]

Day 13

Whitney Day at the Spa and Saratoga lived up to its reputation as “Graveyard of Favorites” as the hot favorites in the three Grade 1 races were all beaten . It’s not often you get a decent price on a Chad Brown firster but not one regular guy on the forum thought it was worth the Reinvestment Risk ($10.00) in the opener. Bert Convy dodged another bullet as no one had the long shot of the day , King Cause ($36.00) in the second. Cherokee Scot went shit or bust with 12 selections and Regal Speaker ($5.80) was one of only two highlights in the third on a predominantly bust day. Only Todd Pletcher’s mummy was pleased when Ima Pharoah ($7.20) won the fourth but Grommet made a welcome appearance on the scoreboard whenVexatious ($21.00) upset in the Personal Ensign.

Last year’s Preakness runner up EverFast ($5.40) finally shook off his ever slow tag which was just what the Doctor ordered in the sixth. Forego and Ozzie both had the patience to type ShawdyShawdyShawdy($14.20) and that was rewarded after he took the seventh. Mystery Bank ($18.00) proved exactly that in the eighth while we had an Improbable ($8.50) winner in the Whitney which baffled us all. Echo Town ($16.40) jerked us around in the tenth but Cherokee Scot and Shoes were joyous when Cross Border ($6.40) got the victory in the Stewards room in the penultimate (that means second last , Spanky) . However Pedalcar was able to motor home a happy man after Cariba ($10.40) took the finale. On to Giveaway Sunday now when NYRA will be handing out free masks to anyone who has recently arrived at the track from Texas.

[cherokeescot]

Day 14

Sunday at the Spa and TimS70 brought his A game on both the illustration and handicapping front. He got off to a Simply Ravishing ($30.20) start in the opener but missed out on a Walkoff ($4.10) in the second where Mike Maker continues to make his mark. No one was smart enough to select Mr Alec ($4.30) in the third but TimS70 was at it again when the misspelled Kilmarknock ($5.30) - home of Johnnie Walker whisky - did not bottle it in the fourth. SpiderJohn picked up another winner in the fifth with Ian Glass ($12.60) as did the prolific Maumeeriverangler who against impazzible odds has now narrowed Bert Convy’s lead to a mere $35. 

Lady Lilly ($5.80) was unloved in the sixth despite having the red hot Clement / Rosario angle while our group had no taste in the seventh for Shiraz ($11.40) who seems to get better with age. Joly B kindly pointed out that Fort Worth ($4.60) normally follows Dallas but in the eighth race he followed no one. Meanwhile TimS70 celebrated with a Moretti ($4.40) or two after achieving his hat trick in the ninth .

Three weeks in the books and Bert Convy is still well clear but there’s a long way to go and he won’t be hoping for a crisp finish.

[bertconvy]

Hahahahahaha !!!
AWESOME.
LOL.

GoodLuck/ALL.

[tims70ar]

Thanks for noticing Bev. It was a great feeling to get the hat trick!

Kilmarknock was the correct spelling for the horse.  (Think American Pharoah).  I had to make that jpeg because all the signs from that burgh are all spelled Kilmarnock.

[cherokeescot]

Day 15

The start of week 4 of the meet saw the fewest number of selections so far , no doubt influenced by a very mediocre and all races off the turf as a result of Isaisis coming storming through the previous day. Indeed the first race of the day , .the steeplechase, was canceled which saved TC a pick although he thought he had selected a cracker. It may have been wet on the grass but it was very chalky on the main track for most of the day starting off with Naughty Prince ($6.50) in the second and favorite backers were even More Graytful ($6.20) in the third. Those of us who played thought they had some Inside Info in the fourth but it was all to no avail as Nonna Madeline ($4.30) would have none of it. Tim$70 has been on a tear of late and was burning rubber again today when Rossa Veloce ($8.90) sped home in the fifth.

Control Group ($4.20) had no fans in the sixth but in the next race Maumeeriverangler was in seventh heaven after Loveontherun ($17.20) halved Bert Convy’s lead in the race for the title. Intrepid Heart ($7.80), Foxtail ($7.10) and Herwaze ($6.40) rounded out a largely uneventful day but what else would you expect on National Underwear Day .

BertConvy’s lead over Maumeeriverangler  after last Wednesday was $101.20 , after this Wednesday it is $18.14 . 

[cherokeescot]

Day 16

Yet another poor card at the “Finger Lakes of the East“ on Thursday which no doubt is the main reason for this year’s big drop in attendance figures at Saratoga. Meanwhile despite BertConvy going into a tale spin there were not many UIC competitors looking to make up ground today which was probably sensible with the early Pick Three paying a paltry $4.10. 

Indeed it was not until the sixth race before the first token gesture was made with Lake Chicot ($18.40) sailing home for Ziggy and the suddenly hot Tims70AR (let’s just hope that Tom gets his top ten numbers correct today or there will be an angry letter heading to the editor from Arkansas ). In the seventh Tass was a toss as Hungry Kitten ($13.20) gobbled them up while we all made a Gaff in not selecting Jolting Joe ($4.00) in the featured $10k claimer. Thankfully King’s Honor ($23.00) went 5Wide in the finale to end the day on an honorable note for our intrepid group of handicappers.

No big movements on the leaderboard with the top 5 wisely giving today’s card the thumbs down with BertConvy keeping his lead and hoping  the sky does not fall in ....

[cherokeescot]

Day 17

Some much better racing at Saratoga on the eve of the Travers and in the opener Bert Convy dodged another bullet as his nemesis Maumeeriverangler selection of longshot Spiritual King did not have a ghost of a chance against Klickitat ($2.90) who wasn’t just jerkin around. Large Mac came back from vacation Looking For Trouble ($4.70) and found it in the second while picking off Cotton on the way. Surprisingly JolyB did not go with Bean Counter ($4.70) in the third and I’m sure he will be seeking revenge on me for even suggesting that was his former occupation. Meanwhile Elk and Italian Stallion netted a three pointer with Kemba ($7.40) in the fourth. Honor Way ($9.40) was on her way early much to the delight of Turffan and SpiderJohn in the fifth as the procession of early short priced winners continued for the third day running. 

In the sixth Pedalcar got the motion going finally as Invincible Gal ($13.60) proved to be just that. Archumybaby ($7.60) had the excess capacity and rallied from well back to get home on the wire for Forego and Italian Stallion in the seventh while Giacosa ($5.90) had no takers in the eighth. No call , quick or otherwise, for Jackie’s Warrior ($8.20) who gave Joel Rosario the ride of a lifetime while putting on a special performance in the Saratoga feature. Finally , after a very rocky start Italian Stallion is making his way up the leaderboard and completed his hat trick on the day when Yellen ($16.00) had enough in reserve to ward off the completion in the last. 

So a nice day for  our leader with the longest shot of the day being a mere 7-1 and his closest competitor using up two picks with no return but who knows what tomorrow brings.

[cherokeescot]

Day 18

Travers Day at Saratoga and the crowds were out in force, well not literally but certainly on the forum where we had our largest number of selections to date . With all those picks it was therefore a surprise to me when no one Doswell ($5.80) in the high noon opener. Musical Heart ($4.50) took some beating as the early double got off to its now daily chalky start . Tims70AR has been having a picture perfect week and his run continued when Risky Mischief ($9.10) won the third which was also an appealing result for Onion. The signs were all there for Hieroglyphics ($3.70) in the fourth but our group did not know what to make of them. Doctor Disaster followed the money as the highly touted Mutasaabeq ($3.70) made more mischief in an impressive debut in the fifth.

That mottley crew of Bitowisdom and Turffan were royally pleased in the sixth when American Monarch ($16.60) crowned a fine performance with a victory. Unfortunately we were not on our toes in the Ballerina where Serengeti Empress ($8.30) impressed all bar our group. The  disqualification of Imprimis who was clearly the best cost Hooper and yours truly a tasty pick three in the eighth but that didn’t matter a toss to 5Wide, Grommet, DavidBrown, Cruzan and Ozzy , who all saw their well beaten selection American Sailor ($16.80) promoted after a lengthy stewards inquiry (no sour grapes here) .

My Sister Nat ($6.90) made the rest of the field look like Charlies in the ninth while Solidus was laughing all the way to the bank after Gamine ($2.60) and Tiz The Law ($3.00) took the Test and Travers in spectacular fashion. Kentucky bound Manny Franco got a hat trick with Blitchton Lady ($9.10) in the finale but with none of the twelve winners paying more than 7-1 there was no real movement in our contest leader board with BertConvy still well clear.