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Post by merasmag on Aug 27, 2023 1:42:06 GMT -5
well...it's a deep subject and i'm listening to a kingston trio song my father usta play hang down your head tom dooley i digress 2016 might have been the best rendition
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Post by cherokeescot on Aug 28, 2023 10:32:48 GMT -5
Day XXXIV
Week 7 is officially in the books and Maumeeriverangler maintains the lead but with only 6 days remaining many of those chasing still have several picks left. After Saturday’s events it was pleasantly surprising to see some nice winners picked by our group although no one took a Solo Shot ($7.10) in the opener. Ichiban ($6.60) has been a regular feature in the recap this year and Nan 53 was our contestant this time to benefit from her third win of the meet in the second race. City Man ($7.90) went unnoticed in the third and although we’ve all met a few bar stewards in our time The Wine Steward ($4.20) was not called upon in the fourth. Ten Furlongs and Otis got a welcome lift from New Gynya ($19.80) in the fifth but Rocket and Roll ($6.20) was a misfire for us in the sixth.
We didn’t dig deep enough to find Caldwell Luvs Gold ($7.60) in the seventh but PonyGirl , Badactor and John Halvorsen were twisting the night away after Born Dancer ($27.00) waltzed in the eighth. Kerry ($13.40) was as smooth as butter while taking the gold in the ninth which kept SB West on a roll. Joly B navigated his way to his third winner in a row with Drake’s Passage ($4.50) in the tenth but unfortunately missed out on the big nautical double when Sail with the Wind ($35.40) breezed home in the finale.
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Post by cherokeescot on Aug 31, 2023 10:20:47 GMT -5
Day XXXV
The final Wednesday of the meet sadly started like so many others before it - steeplechase canceled and all races off the turf. Following the scratches Emery ($3.40) looked to be the best horse on paper and that’s how it turned out in the scheduled second race. Leslie’s Loot ($10.00) took the third but none of our group cashed in and the joke was on us in the fourth when Little Prankster ($5.70) proved to be the trick play . Number 13 Gilmore ($3.40) drew in to win the fourth but nobody was happy about that. Jacckk8 thought he was finished but there is life in the old dog yet as Printrack ($13.00) set the kaching bell ringing in the sixth.
Madame Blum moved into second place to set her up for another champagne finish with She’s Mo Bubbly ($3.60) in the seventh. Meanwhile Indypacer and Italian Stallion were seen russian to the IRS payout window after Olga Isabel ($4.40) was triumphant in the eighth. Goldandmyrrh rounded out our winning selections for the day with Magic Cross ($3.30) as Uncle Marty ($10.20) proved to be our least favorite relative in the finale.
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Post by cherokeescot on Aug 31, 2023 17:25:59 GMT -5
Day XXXVI
The final Thursday at the Spa , the sun is shining , races are on the turf and there are just a few scratches. It’s all because Large Mac is in town ! I have now said one million and one times that it only takes one longshot pick to win this contest and my theory was proved right again as we had a 44-1 winner in the last which has completely changed the dynamic of the contest with Maumeeriverangler no longer the leader and the strategy of those closest to him before probably needs to be revised.
Gold Lightning ($31.40) didn’t strike for us in the first no doubt causing some teeth gnashing as how many times do you get 15-1 on a well bred Brad Cox first time starter. Arsignman inched his way up to second place (temporarily) when Life Talk ($2.80) walked the walk in the second . Loon Cry ($5.80) went unheard in the third and nobody scored from a Corner Kick ( $7.10) in the fourth. Papa Bear’s Disappearance ($9.60) from the Daily Recap was remedied after the fifth but nobody was hell bent on Speakinofthedevil ($5.60) in the sixth.
We all watched with anticipation the filly taking on the colts in the seventh but unfortunately no one selected the Gala Brand ( $7.80) as Bill Mott’s great season continued . Cicciobello ($6.40) was a doll of a pick for JohnnyBatTBD in the eighth but another golden opportunity went by in the ninth as we all failed to pick Locke and Key ($36.40) . However the drama of the day was still to come as Sounds of Saratoga made the loudest noise possible by shooting to the top of the pack by harvesting More Mango ($90.50) in the finale. I am not sure that everybody knows but Sounds of Saratoga (aka John Fleming) is the brother of our current champion and presently fourth placed contestant Madame Blum. Congratulations to John , who I also heard cashed a four figure sum on that race. It certainly has spiced up the competition and with four days to go it’s still anybody’s race so please make sure that you use all your forty picks !
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Post by cherokeescot on Sept 2, 2023 7:34:45 GMT -5
Day XXXVII
The final Friday of the Saratoga meet and the race for the Saratoga Cup is really heating up . Could it be a Cinderella story for Camourous who has came out of nowhere to contend after Cigale ($72.50 ) trotted up in the opener. My Mane Squeeze ( $8.20) didn’t attract any attention in the second but TimS70 cracked the Security Code ($7.40) in the third. Carl Spackler ($2.50) is beginning to make a name for himself this summer and all it needed was a Bitowisdom for him to win the fourth. Locked ($3.50) was loaded in the fifth but we couldn’t find the key to success at that price.
Turffan ended his contest for the year on a happy note by taking the Unicorn Cake ($9.60) in the sixth while there was no argument from MVerrone after Quarrel ($7.00) was the undisputed winner of the seventh. The positions on the leaderboard were unaltered after Forced Ranking ($10.40) won the eighth but Bitowisdom moved up the board nicely when doubling up with Vacation Dance ($17.20) in the ninth. Lots of contestants looking for another bomber in the finale but we all failed to find Brooklyn Diamond ($10.40) in the rough.
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Post by cherokeescot on Sept 2, 2023 19:20:16 GMT -5
Day XXXVIII
The last Saturday of the meet is normally a poignant one and this one was even more so for the Parrotheads amongst us. As expected we had a bumper number of picks today so no surprise that Life’s an Audible ($16.40) was a popular choice for Bert Convy and Nan 53 (twice) in the opener. Bert Convy was firing bullets like they were going out of style and hit the target again in the second when Accretive ($3.70) added to his total. I’m guessing no one has been to Parnac ($18.40) in France as all said au revoir a notre billets en le troisieme. In the fourth race Ludwig ($22.60) was very composed and gave Real Quiet and Grommet ( who is now a serious contender) something to shout about. Alva Starr ($9.00) shone brightly in the fifth but our picks disappeared into a black hole. Bert Convy made it three on the day when his travels on Agate Road ($4.10) proved rewarding in the sixth.
Meanwhile it appears we are all happy on our own as no one was looking for a General Partner ($9.30) in the seventh. Indeed we entered a lean spell in the second half of the card despite the volume of picks as we missed out on golden opportunities such as Thin White Duke ($20.40) Missing Fortune ($35.60) Drakon ($44.00) and Bright Future ($9.50) in races eight to eleven. Thankfully JohnnyBatTBD got us back on the right latitude by hitting the Dream Road ($25.60) in the finale . Just two days left and Sounds of Saratoga is the leader but who knows who will be the champ come Monday.
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Post by cherokeescot on Sept 3, 2023 19:23:16 GMT -5
Day XXXIX
The final Sunday of the meet but with one day in the contest remaining Sounds of Saratoga holds a decent lead but those close behind him still have picks and are alive and kicking as we anticipate another memorable finale. In the opener Indypacer decided to Weigh The Risks ($3.50) and go with the favorite. Only time will tell if that was the correct strategy. Several members had a pick for every race but sadly they could say Bon Adieu ($8.20) to their chances of going through the card after the second, Salestopper will appear on the credits for today however as Film Star ($5.80) received the accolades in the third. Magnolia Midnight ($4.00) was too late for our group of seniors in the fourth and we would be waiting for the Cowes ($5.40) to come home if we were trying to find the winner of the fifth. Ozzy and Propro however did scale the heights with Alpine Princess ($8.90) in the sixth.
We all had reservations about Indian Mischief ($23.00) in the seventh but Salestopper and Propro were wise to Cantfoolme ($16.40) in the eighth .Brightwork ($8.00) did not light up the tote board or our enthusiasm in the ninth but we were all delighted to see CindyLouJazz break her duck with her last selection when TimS70 , JohnnyBatTBD and Hooper accompanied her in a Whiskey Lullaby ($6.40) in the closer.
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Post by cherokeescot on Sept 4, 2023 17:49:53 GMT -5
Day XL
It was an extra large final day at Saratoga with everyone using their remaining picks. Because we were mostly looking for longshots we drew a blank in races one to seven before JohnnyBatTBD was finally able to Win for Gold ($5.80) in the eighth. He followed up with a quick fire double in the ninth using some good old fashioned American Know How ( $5.40) which also helped Camourous move up .
It was not looking like we were going to have our customary last minute fireworks until Cherokee Scot went crazy with a very Hopeful pick and Nutella Fella ($111.00) duly blew up the tote board. This left your humble scribe with another longshot in the last but unfortunately lightning did not strike twice and favorite Lt Mitchell ($7.00) added to Camourous very respectable tally.
So it’s congratulations to Sounds of Saratoga (John Fleming ) on his first Saratoga Cup win . Thankfully there won’t be any problem mailing the trophy this year as hopefully he will be receiving it personally from his sister, last year’s winner , Madame Blum.
Huge thanks to contest administrator Tom Williams in what has been the toughest year in the history of the contest as regards weather and scratches. There will be a Special Season Recap at the end of the week . Meanwhile …..
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Post by tenfurlongs on Sept 5, 2023 5:21:56 GMT -5
Great job as always, Bev!! The highlight of the season for me. You should ask the boss for a raise . TW
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