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Post by cherokeescot on Aug 31, 2020 13:28:05 GMT -5
Day 34
Week seven is now officially in the books and it ended on a high note for several of our players. The husband and wife pairing of Bitowisdom and Nan53 got proceedings off to great start and they were both all right after the ridgeling Half Right ($36.20) took the first with a ballsy performance. Nan53 quickly doubled up when Fried Rice King ($6.00) flayed the opposition in the second. Unfortunately there was No Mo Spending ($3.20 ) for our group for a while a free that with Siding Spring ($9.10) Red Ghost ($4.40) and Zonic ($6.80) getting no attention.
Forego and Madame Blum were singing after Lovely La La ($16.40) took the seventh while JolyB was also on the right track when Gandy Dancing ($4.70) rode the rail to victory in the eighth. Reigning champion NDSC32 is not giving up his title without a fight and is now right back in the mix after long shot Safe Conduct ($35.00) won the finale.
Only 6 racing days left and although Bert Convy has led from the start the number of challengers is increasing daily. With currently ten players in triple figures already this is the highest scoring Classic contest in its 14 year history. For those of you who still have picks remaining don’t lose yourself , remember you’ve got one shot , don’t miss the chance to blow this opportunity , once in a lifetime ...
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Post by bitowisdom on Aug 31, 2020 13:38:36 GMT -5
Loved your recap. Was that a ballsy or ball performance by that ridgling...............HAHAHAHAHA
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Post by tenfurlongs on Sept 1, 2020 8:23:15 GMT -5
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Post by bertconvy on Sept 1, 2020 19:57:57 GMT -5
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Post by cherokeescot on Sept 2, 2020 19:42:46 GMT -5
Day 35
The final Wednesday of the meet and sadly it was a very wet one with all races off the turf and the opening steeplechase canceled. The shit really hit the fan though in the second race when outsider Vinda Machine ($27.40) , named after a Chinese toilet paper manufacturer, powered through the slop but Triguy was more than happy to clean up and was flushed with his success as he moved into the top 12 with number 2 still in sight. The word on the backstretch was that Steve Asmussen had a very special horse in three year old debutant Nashville ($2.60) and he justified the billing with a near record breaking performance in the third. In the fourth race just five days after winning here Linda Rice’ horse was Rejected Again ($21.60) by our group. Just like Prince Andrew , Royal Suspect ($6.90) did not break sweat in taking , or should I say pleading, the fifth while City Temper ($8.10) caused several bad tempers when nosing out the popular Doll in the sixth.
Unrighteous ($3.30) may have made the trainer and jockey title races interesting in the seventh but had no impact on our more prestigious contest. Not sure what he did to upset him but in the ninth JohnnyB decided to Fire At Will ($8.20) and this time the man from TBD did not miss. In the finale Reigning champ NDSC 32 thought he had Money In The Bank but DiannesImpazzible ($6.90) stuck her neck out to beat him.
So a mixed day for leader Bert Convy. He struck out with both of his picks but nobody in the immediately chasing pack made any inroads as we head into the final stretch. Maybe it’s the calm before the storm ....
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Post by cherokeescot on Sept 3, 2020 17:44:25 GMT -5
Day 36
Well it finally happened , a combination of bad weather , small fields and lots of scratches resulted in our group being completely shut out today. To add insult to injury Arsignman did have the biggest priced winner of the day in Mashnee Girl ($21.80) but since he posted after the noon deadline he was shut out too. So literally nothing for me to write home about . Only four days remaining to catch Bert Convy who has led since Day 1 and I’m sure if he got caught now it would have to hurt....
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Post by bertconvy on Sept 3, 2020 18:30:41 GMT -5
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Post by tims70ar on Sept 3, 2020 22:05:01 GMT -5
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Post by cherokeescot on Sept 4, 2020 7:46:48 GMT -5
Bravo !
Tim bringing his A game To the party ! !
Great find !!!
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Post by cherokeescot on Sept 4, 2020 18:47:54 GMT -5
Day 37
New York bred Friday at the Spa although it would be fair to say that most of our attention was focused on the race between the “big two fillies” in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. However with many eyes looking elsewhere two of our members took advantage to land a couple of bombs today to put them in contention. Triguy was the first to make a fancy move when Step Dancer ($50.50) landed a big upset in the fourth to put him in fifth place. Grommet might not appreciate the name Myhartbelongstodady ($5.00) but it certainly met with Madame Blum’s approval after winning the fifth. The other major mover on the day was Ozzy who with the help of his Big Package ($48.80) found his way into the top twelve .
So just three days to go in the contest and I’m sure it’s been a long long road for Bert Convy with many a winding turn that leads us to who knows where , but he’s strong , strong enough and if he wins I will say ..he’s my brother ..
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Post by bertconvy on Sept 4, 2020 20:16:20 GMT -5
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Post by cherokeescot on Sept 6, 2020 8:39:42 GMT -5
Day 38
Well who would have thought that instead of the Jim Dandy and the Woodward that on the final Saturday of the Saratoga meet we would be talking about the Kentucky Derby . Not much Saratoga Love ($11.80) on display from our group although it was nice to see WrightStuff and Nan53 get together for a Civil Union ($6.50) in the fourth. Nan53 also struck gold with Olympiad in the fifth and may well have Restored Order ($8.90) in her household by completing a hat trick in the seventh. That completed the winners for our group for the day and With none of the chasing pack making any inroads our authentic leader Bert Convy is still on track to go gate to wire ......
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Post by cherokeescot on Sept 6, 2020 19:13:27 GMT -5
Day 39
The final Sunday and with no other racing distractions the UIC contestants were out in force on what may prove to be the decisive day of the forty day marathon. After Being clipped by Malibu Curl ($13.40) in the opener WrightStuff made some Bourbon Currency ($7.10) in the second. Nan53 has been having a profitable weekend and she made some more Cold Hard Cash ($8.30) in the third. After some cheap Price Talk ($3.50) in the fourth the battle for the contest title really heated up when Propro moved to within $1 of the lead thanks to Jane Grey ($14.00) who also caught Hooper’s eye.
Ziggy was a long way back but I would be So Gracious ($73.50) to say he is now back in the hunt especially with twelve picks available on the final day to add to his longshot winner in the sixth. Johnny B enjoyed some Chocolate Cookies ($6.40) with his afternoon tea at the seventh race stretch where Propro used up his second last pick. Tensions reached fever pitch in the ninth where Propro , no doubt using his local knowledge , selected With his final pick the Parx invader Vequist ($15.20) to spin his way into a $14.20 lead over BertConvy who has 5 picks remaining on the final day. The excitement for the day was not over yet and WrightStuff is on Battle Station ($42.40) for tomorrow as his second winner of the day pushed him up the leaderboard.
Finally I am pleased to say that an agreement has been made with UICTV that the Daily Recap will be live tomorrow with updates before and after every race as we approach ....
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Post by bertconvy on Sept 6, 2020 19:24:42 GMT -5
#8 millions stories... #And, they out there, naked.
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propro
UpInClass Member
Posts: 921
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Post by propro on Sept 6, 2020 22:40:31 GMT -5
Propro , no doubt using his local knowledge , selected With his final pick the Parx invader Vequist ($15.20)
LOL....and you'd be correct. Was playing Parx the day she ran her debut. 8-1ml and opened the favorite for Butch Reid. Always a fan of his runners and this one looked super athletic in the paddock and post parade. Ran her eyeballs out at a 4.5f distance that seemed too short (Dam was second in the Black Eyed Susan) but she ran straight and professionally and lost the bob in a quick 6 2/5 final sixteenth. Figured they would guess they made a mistake not running at Saratoga on debut where she could go 6f. My surprise when she shows up in the 7f stake today and was an easy pick....and she ran straight as an arrow again in the stretch while still full of run at the end. Track was really quick today so I'm not making anything out of her time, just how well she looked again running. I think she has a future at a mile or more and I'll be rooting.
She would have been a great start for the Otis special for last year's claiming crown. My bad not suggesting it!! Will find some race in the fall where hopefully we can start that.
Thanks for another year of summaries. I don't know how you come up with the gems you write, but it's incredibly entertaining.
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Post by tims70ar on Sept 6, 2020 22:45:28 GMT -5
Bert knew there were Monsters lurking!
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nan53
UpInClass Member
Posts: 73
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Post by nan53 on Sept 7, 2020 8:42:20 GMT -5
So enjoyed the Daily Recaps again this year, Cherokeescot - you are a master of words, sir! Reading your daily updates, and listening to the great music picks from you & other UIC folks, has taken the sting out of sucking at picking the ponies this year...LOL! Best to all!
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Post by cherokeescot on Sept 7, 2020 18:10:53 GMT -5
Day 40
Hopeful day and a few of our members were hopeful that this would be the day that they would be crowned Saratoga Cup Classic XIV champion. In the opener New Member gave Bitowisdom a little hope but you didn’t need to be Einstein to pick the winner here as the favorite Iranistan ($6.30) overcame this hurdle comfortably. In the second under a masterful ride from Luis Saez , Celtic Chaos ($13.80) beat the worthless 1-5 favorite to add some green for Doctor Disaster, IndyPacer and WrightStuff. In the third Editor At Large ($4.20) got it done for Bert Convy to put him within $10 of leader Propro but with four picks still in hand. Road to Meath ($3.80) skewered the popular Kabob in the fourth to give Indypacer his second win on the day. Per Capita ($5.60) kept the chalk fest going in the fifth but this time did not get a single head count amongst our group. Race six turned out to be a shambles for most of our members with many fists in the Clench ($6.40) position as the run of winning favorites continued.
There was drama in the seventh as a wayward Lovestruck ($20.00) somehow survived a lengthy stewards inquiry much to the relief of Otis, Chazaward and Hooper but to the disappointment of Nan53 who was on the runner up much to to the surprise of Joel Rosario who thought he had the mount. In the eighth Ozzy fresh from his recent win on big package got his Ballagh Rocks ($16.00) off with WrightStuff joining in the fun. Huge longshot American Gentleman gave his supporters some excitement in the ninth before Team Merchants ($16.00) got the job done for Doctor Disaster. There was no luck for either Bert or Ernie in the tenth as Cucina ($10.00) kept Bill Mott hot. No freedom and no whisky celebrations in the eleventh as Cherokee Scot’s slim hopes were scotched by Scanno ($12.00). In the twelfth we had both Basquiat and Gauguin but it was Proven Strategies ($12.00) who made the best impression to bring the tournament to a successful end for WrightStuff.
In the Hopeful , Jackie’s Warrior ($5.60) ran them off their feet in a stunning display of speed to give Chazaward another winner on the day. This left the finale with Bert Convy needing a win by Vicarage to take the title. After stumbling at the break Vicarage , completely missed by track commentator John Imbriale , finished like a train but just failed to catch Sir Chubby ($15.80) who fittingly was the choice of last year’s champion NDSC 32.
So , in what has been a high scoring and excitement tournament it is congratulations to our champion Propro with a great final score. Commiserations to long time leader Bert Convy who also brightened up the tournament with his artwork ( you must watch his video from today’s picks) . Thanks to Tom for organizing and keeping the scores correct . It’s a massive undertaking. Hopefully barring an uncivil war breaking out in the forum we can all do this again next year. And so finally let us all join in in paying tribute to our 2020 champion Propro ........
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forego
UpInClass Member
Posts: 369
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Post by forego on Sept 7, 2020 18:42:51 GMT -5
A big thank you to TF, CS and Ziggy for all the time and effort you all put in on a daily basis to make this a great contest. CS…I’m sure you’d make a great race caller! And a thank you to all the prize contributors and all who played to make the last 40 days fly by!!! Congrats Propro and to everyone in the top twelve, hell of an ROI!!!
Best, Forego
PS…Thanks Dell for UpIncClass!
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Post by cindyloujazz on Sept 7, 2020 19:46:35 GMT -5
Congratulations to our Champion, Propro!!!! You certainly are! A Pro handicapper that is! Good job, way to go!!!!
UIC is the best, with the best people, I'm happy to bet/gamble, guess( in my case) with all of you.
Breeders Cup is right around the corner! I hope I do better there than I did here, lol.
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Post by Badactor on Sept 7, 2020 20:16:12 GMT -5
You gentlemen put on a great show. Truly outstanding. CONGRATULATIONS TO CHAMPION HANDICAPPER PROPRO!
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Post by triguy237 on Sept 7, 2020 23:11:21 GMT -5
Way to go PROPro! Nicely done. And thanks to all who put in so much time to run this great contest. What a marvelous group we have here.
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propro
UpInClass Member
Posts: 921
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Post by propro on Sept 8, 2020 8:02:44 GMT -5
Thanks everyone! I thought Vicarage looked like a winner when he was moving on the turn. It would have been a wild finish getting up at the wire considering Bertconvy (love the username) nearly wired the field this year. I'm an also ran every year in this event and this blind squirrel certainly got lucky this time. :-)
Many thanks to all involved, from management to contributors to the daily players. Tom, Bev and Mike - all your work on this is truly appreciated by myself and this whole community. There's nothing like the Saratoga meet and the Saratoga Cup gives it the focus here it certainly deserves.
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ndsc32
UpInClass Member
restore avatar
Posts: 496
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Post by ndsc32 on Sept 8, 2020 8:32:15 GMT -5
Congratulations to new champion PROPRO.
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Post by maumeeriverangler on Sept 8, 2020 9:35:24 GMT -5
Congrats to ProPro and Thanks to Everbody involved .
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