The Best of AndyScoggin

My favorite articles from AndyScoggin in NJ and Racing at the Jersey Shore.

http://andyscoggin.com/2011/12/28/the-best-of-andyscoggin/

Topics Posted on AndyScoggin.com

Rapid Redux Looks to Extend Win Streak and Tie Citation

New Plan to Save Racing at Monmouth Park

Will There Be Racing at Monmouth Park in 2012?

Dissecting the Eclipse Award Vote

Fall Highweight Handicap – Past and Present

Rapid Redux Goes for the Modern Era Record Tonight

AndyScoggin in NJ has moved to AndyScoggin.com. Please visit the new and improved site.

Here are the Facts from Rapid Redux's Winning Streak

Rapid Redux will try to break the modern era consecutive win record of 19 on Monday evening at Mountaineer Park. The facts are at AndyScoggin.com.

I Should Have Won More at Breeders' Cup 2011

Read the analysis at AndyScoggin.com.

Monmouth Wagering Wrap-up

Check out my summary of the Place Pick 6 experience at AndyScoggin.com.

First Woman Wins Monmouth Training Title

Jane Cibelli - First Woman to Win Monmouth Training Title.

When the Monmouth Park thoroughbred racing meet ended on Sunday, Jane Cibelli became the first woman to ever win the training title at the Jersey Shore track. Her 32 wins were six ahead of Greg Sacco and Scott Volk. Go to AndyScoggin.com to read the rest of the article.

Day 72 - Friday, November 4, 2011 & Breeders' Cup Day 1

On AndyScoggin.com you can find today's Place Pick 6 and my full card of Breeders' Cup selections.

I will probably be playing the Pick 5 at CD and MTH, the PP6 at MTH, and the Breeders' Cup Pick 4.

Breeders' Cup 2011 Selections

Breeders' Cup 2011 selections are posted at AndyScoggin.com.

Breeders' Cup Week

Here is what is happening during Breeders' Cup week at AndyScoggin.com. Access all of this from the link for AndyScoggin.

•On HorseRacingNation.com I will be doing the Point/Counterpoint with Brian Zipse. Topic is Best Jockey for BC11. Jump in the discussion I will need your support.

•I am still alive in the Portland Meadows ShowVivor contest. 1900 started and 600 are left after 4 days.

•Join in the Breeders' Cup Survivor pool at HorseRacingNation.com through Brian Zipse's blog.

•The final three days of the Monmouth meeting for the Place Pick 6.

•Trying to cash some tickets in the BC!

Article at Breeders' Cup site

Go to AndyScoggin.com to find the link to an article I helped out on for the Breeders' Cup Classic site.

Day 71, Sunday, October 30, 2011

Go to AndyScoggin.com for today's Monmouth Place Pick 6.

Day 70, October 29, 2011

Day 70 is posted at AndyScoggin.com .

Day 69 - Friday, October 28, 2011

Ticket for the Place Pick 6 can be found at AndyScoggin.com .

Rapid Redux Ties the Record at 19

Go to AndyScoggin.com to read about the 19 win streak club members: Rapid Redux, Zenyatta, and Peppers Pride.

Charting the Breeders' Cup

New article with great data to use for the Breeders' Cup. Go to Charting_the_Breeders_Cup at HorseRacingNation.com and AndyScoggin.com .

Day 68 - Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Place Pick 6 for today is posted at the new AndyScoggin in NJ AndyScoggin.com.

Day 67 - Saturday, October 22, 2011

The Place Pick 6 Ticket for Day 67 is posted at andyscoggin.com the new site of AndyScoggin in NJ. See you there.

Day 66 - Friday, October 21, 2011

Today's Place Pick 6 ticket is posted at the new AndyScoggin in NJ.

Playing the Place Pick 6

My instructional article about Place Pick 6 strategy at AndyScoggin.com . Please head over to the new website.

THANKS!

Cigar's Classic 1995 Breeders' Cup

Cigar entered the 1995 Breeders Cup Classic riding an eleven race winning streak that spanned back to his last two races of 1994. It was a streak in which Cigar had not run a Beyer Speed Figure less than a 104 and had earned figures above 110 in all but two of his races. He had won 8 grade one stakes at 6 different tracks on both the west and east coasts.

Cigar’s dominating performances and the consecutive victories had gained the attention of sports fans and not just in the racing world. Cigar found his way into mainstream magazines like People, Esquire, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated.

To read the rest of the article go the new AndyScoggin in NJ site.

AndyScoggin.com is now open

The first official post at AndyScoggin.com is up. Please click below to go to the new site.

andyscoggin.com

Day 65 - Sunday, October 16, 2011

Only eight races at Monmouth today so the Place Pick 6 starts in race 3 with a post time of 1:50pm ET. Here is the $36 ticket: 1,2 with 3 with 2,3 with 3,5 with 1,2,7 with 5,8,10.

UPDATE - 7:30pm - We hit the Place Pick 6 today. That is the 12th time at this Monmouth meeting. This time we had the exacta in the 5th leg which means two winning tickets. That is 2 x $101.55 for $203.10.

In the last 15 racing days AndyScoggin has had EIGHT PP6 winners for a profit of $435.75.

This week I will have a feature posted on HorseRacingNation.com about the Top 10 Breeders' Cup Sprints. Then there will be an article of mine about the great Cigar. HRN is revving up the Breeders' Cup coverage for the next two weeks, be sure to check it out!

I am off to the theatre this afternoon with my wife. That means I get to have the fun of checking the race results on my phone. I enjoy the process of scrolling down the 4NJBets.com pages race by race to see how the picks are doing. Even that gives some of the thrill of racing.

Good luck today.

Day 64 - Saturday, October 15, 2011

Bit of a rush today, so here is the Place Pick 6 for $36: 2,7,8,11 with 1,6 with 7 with 1,2,8 with 3,6,9 with 3. Excuse the last minute change in the first leg, I had a scratched horse the 12 picked. I went four deep in the first leg, but still don't feel very confident.

UPDATE - So much for the lack of confidence in the first leg, the 2,7,8,11 picks boxed turned out to produce the exacta ($30), trifecta ($93), and superfecta ($489). In leg 2, race 5, our picks produced an exacta ($20). In leg 3, race 6, the #7 stood in the gate for a full two seconds after the break, got about 20 lengths behind, yet still managed to rally and hang on for the place spot. In leg 4, race 7, we hit another exacta ($60) so now we would have EIGHT winning tickets. We stay alive in the fifth leg. ARRRGGHH! In race 9, the finale leg, our single finished third.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Rapid Redux evening. There were some interesting people on TWITTER tweeting about the race. Win #18 was an awesome performance by RR. He got challenged on the lead early in the race and put that horse away. That appeared to have taken nothing out of RR because when Smiling Jordan came with his run on the last turn RR just turned on the speed again. Rapid Redux destroyed that horse and went on to win by 6 lengths. After the win RR was strutting and showing off, as if to say, 'Really, you dare to challenge me?'

I heard Dave Grening of the Daily Racing Form suggest that there should be a race carded on a Breeders Cup card for Rapid Redux's next start. What a terrific idea, this winning streak is a great story and should be highlighted. Win number 19 would tie the streaks of the New Mexico phenom Pepper's Pride and Zenyatta. The connections of Rapid Redux want to get win number 20 before January 1.

Day 63 - Friday, October 14, 2011

Only eight races filled for Day 63 at Monmouth. The horses that ran throughout the long hot summer had hard campaigns and are ready for some rest. Turf racing is done and that eliminated another significant segment of the horse population. Horses that won more than once in the summer are not finding races that they can enter or that will fill. Thus fields are getting smaller.

With an eight race card the Place Pick 6 will run from races 3 through 8. That means an earlier post time of 1:50pm ET for the PP6. There has been a lot of rain the past two days and more in the forecast for Friday. Here is a preliminary PP6 ticket that will get reduced one way or another: 3,6 with 1,10 with 1 (scr),2,4 with 5,7 with 4,6 (scr),7 with 3,7. I will post the final ticket around noon on Friday.

UPDATE - 10:39am - Two scratches from our PP6 ticket due to the muddy track. So the ticket will come to $32 for 3,6 with 1,10 with 2,4 with 5,7 with 4,7 with 3,7.

Thanks to those who have peeked at the new site for AndyScoggin in NJ at andyscoggin.com. I really like the way it looks. The new site will be in full use as we near the Breeders' Cup and wind down the Monmouth meet. Also, a big thanks to all the AndyScoggin readers as we near 6,000 hits.
Rapid Redux goes for his 18th consecutive victory at Charles Town on Friday night in race 8. The field is much tougher than his last couple races. I will be hosting a Rapid Redux TWEETfest starting an hour before the race at 9:25pm ET. Follow me @AndyScoggin to join in the fun.

Here are the entries as posted in the Daily Racing Form.

Day 62 - Monday, October 10, 2011

UPDATE - 5:59pm - Five out of six again today in the Place Pick 6. We are hitting or just missing. Race 7 was our the leg that we missed. Also RAPID REDUX is going to be entered in Laurel's Saturday card. We will have to wait to find out if he will race at CT or Lrl.

Columbus Day has been added as Day 62 of racing at Monmouth. It seems like most people have the day off but me. I will be back after scratches are up to post today's Place Pick 6 ticket.

We went 5 out of 6 yesterday in the PP6. I was really worried about race 8 and that was where we got knocked out. I would have had to include four or five horses to have stayed alive in that leg.

Today's standard $36 Place Pick 6 ticket: 3,5,7 with 3,5,7 with 4,5 with 15, with 4,7 with 1.

RAPID REDUX is entered for Friday night in race 8 at Charles Town with a post time of 10:25 pm ET. I will be running at TWITTER tweet fest as RAPID REDUX goes for his 18th consecutive win. The tweeting will start at 9:25pm ET on Friday. Sign up for Twitter and follow me @AndyScoggin. I can't say enough about how important TWITTER is for me in staying up with all the racing news.

Day 61 - Sunday, October 9, 2011

Sixty racing days have gone by at Monmouth and the races have been rather formful the past 15 cards. The Place Pick 6 has been quite profitable in that time period. We have collected on the PP6 seven times for a positive cash flow of $408.65. For the entire meeting AndyScoggin has hit the blogged PP6 ELEVEN times for a profit of $175.05. I hope you have hit at least a few of these PP6's. We have about ten more racing days left at the Jersey Shore.

Preliminary ticket for Sunday: 6,9 with 1A,3 with 1,5 with 1/1A,3,7 with 5,9 with 1,3,6. This play is over budget, so we will need to see if any scratches reduce the ticket. Otherwise we will have to cut a horse.

Final ticket for $36: 6,9 with 1A,3 with 1,5 with 1/1A,3,7 with 9 with 1,3,6.

Day 60 - Saturday, October 8, 2011

UPDATE - 5:45pm - I hope you were betting today. We hit the PP6 again today, that is the 11th time we have cashed during this Monmouth meeting for a profit of $175.05. Today the PP6 paid $52.20 but we had it twice for $104.40 thanks to an exacta in race 5. Over the last 15 race days we have hit the PP6 SEVEN times for a profit of $408.65!

This Saturday marks the return of three day racing weekends at Monmouth. This weekend racing will include Monday, which is Columbus Day. The rest of the meeting will take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays until Breeders' Cup Weekend of November 4 and 5.

Monmouth Notes:
•Saturday's card is rather unusual in that five of the first six races are $5,000 claimers, either 5000B or 5000N2L.
•It appears that turf racing is finished for the year.
•Purses have dipped significantly for the remaining cards.
•Joe Bravo is not riding at Monmouth the rest of the way. He has been riding in New York and the other day he took off of his mounts and two of his horses won at huge prices of $48 and $51.
•Trainer Jane Cibelli is still on top of the standings with a 29 to 24 lead over Scott Volk and Eddie Broome. She could become the first women to win a trainer's title.
•There will be free parking and free admission to grandstand or clubhouse on FRIDAYS.

Here is the preliminary Place Pick 6 for Saturday as we will hopefully continue to cash tickets: 1,7 with 5,8 with 1,2 with 10 with 2,5,6 with 1,4,5. That is our standard $36 ticket.

AndyScoggin.com

AndyScoggin.com is coming! In the near future AndyScoggin in NJ will be moving to andyscoggin.com.

Uncle Mo is Back!

I just posted a blog on HorseRacingNation.com about my day at Belmont Park for Super Saturday. I have always been a huge fan of Uncle Mo and have maintained my belief that he was the kind of superstar that horse racing needs badly. It was really exciting to see Mo dominate the Kelso Handicap in a stellar time of 1:33.82. Owner Mike Repole helps to make Uncle Mo even more of a crowd favorite. My blog contains a lot of interesting quotes from Repole that I recorded in the winner's circle. What a thrill to spend the day so close to so many of racing's superstars.

Here is the beginning of the blog. Please go to horseracingnation.com to read the full article.

It had been way too long since I had been to Belmont Park. It was with great anticipation that I headed to Super Saturday. There would be five grade one races, but I was most looking forward to the Kelso Handicap, which was a mere grade two event. The Kelso was where Uncle Mo was running.

I had seen Uncle Mo in his stall in the Todd Pletcher barn in Oklahoma area at Saratoga. He was contently hanging out, resting his head on his hay net. Uncle Mo impressed me with his calm and laid back demeanor. He was a happy horse.

Before the Kelso the paddock was bustling with anticipation. The whole Repole clan was there and they were wearing the Repole colors. There were orange blazers and ties. Many guys were wearing orange and blue caps emblazoned with logos of NY, the circled blue R of the Repole Stable, or the name Uncle Mo. Women were accessorized in orange and blue. It was a New York crowd. Eventually owner Mike Repole made his way into the scene and jokingly said, “Let me go train the horse!” Meanwhile jockey John Velazquez walked in and sought out the Repole grandmother to get a good luck kiss.

Day 59 - Sunday, October 2, 2011

Sorry I am a little late posting today's Place Pick 6. I had family activities this morning after missing all of them to go to Belmont's Super Saturday. More to come on that great day of racing.

UPDATE - 6:55pm - That was fun today. We were hitting winners all over the card and hit two exactas on our PP6 ticket giving us 4 winning combinations. Too bad those winners paid: $3.80, $3.80, $4.80, $3.00, $3.20, and $3.40 for a PP6 payout of $10.50 for the base of 50¢. That is the lowest PP6 of the meeting. We collected $42 for a profit of $6. That's ok, it was fun and marked the 10th time we hit the PP6 in the 59 days. I was at the movies this afternoon (Moneyball is a terrific movie, don't miss it) and got to have the great fun of scrolling through the race results to see how we did. There is nothing more fun than that. The excitement of seeing how the picks did and what the payout would be is such a thrill. That is just one of the many reasons that I love horse racing.

I will be back midweek with some postings here or at HorseRacingNation.com or at another racing website???

Off the turf at Monmouth today leaving a three horse field in race 8. That is going to probably mean a smaller PP6 payout today with race 8 almost certainly being a free square. I thought about whether to just single there and move on or get an exacta there. With the probability of a smaller payout it is even more important to hit an exacta today and get multiple winning tickets. I decided to single race 8 and try for the exactas in a race needing more of a spread.

Here is our standard $36 play: 1,9 with 1,4,7 with 3,8 with 6,7 with 3 with 1,5,6. Good luck today!

Day 58 - Saturday, October 1, 2011

Even though I will be at Belmont Park tomorrow, I will still be playing the Monmouth Place Pick 6. Here is a preliminary ticket for day 58. I will be back from Belmont to update the play after Monmouth scratch time. 2,5,8 with 3 with 6,7 with 2,7,8 with 8,9 with 2,4,(7),(8).

UPDATE - 12:45 pm - Races are on the turf at Monmouth and the track is muddy. No scratches of note in the Place Pick 6 sequence. Final ticket will be our usual $36 play: 2,8,10 with 3 with 6,7 with 2,8,10 with 8,9 with 2,4.

Notes:
--Rapid Redux was scratched from his race Friday night at Mountaineer. The possibility of a muddy caused them to stay home. Next target for win number 18 is on October 14, at Charles Town.

--Monmouth has announced racing on Fridays, Oct. 14, 21, and 28. Those are the make-up dates for Hurricane Irene and the extreme heat of July. There will be racing on Columbus Day which is Monday, Oct. 10, and Friday, November 4, for Breeders Cup. That means we are back to 3 days of racing a week at Monmouth from next weekend through November 6.

Belmont - Super Saturday - October 1, 2011

Saturday I will be heading off to Belmont Park for Super Saturday where there will be five G1 stakes and the G2 Kelso. I have not been to Belmont Park in many years, so many that I really can't remember how long it has been. The races will be seen live on ESPN Classic or you can watch on drf.com.

Here are my picks and preview of this Super Saturday.

Race 5 is the G1 Flower Bowl Invitational. There were 14 nominations and 8 fillies and mares are running. #8 Stacelita will be the favorite and my top pick. She is just better than the rest of these. Her races have been better and her BSF's have been better. #1 Deluxe ran some very good races in France and has made one start for Bill Mott and it was a nice effort in a restricted stake at Saratoga. Mott could have this one improving. #3 Emerald Beach has won 4 in a row including the G3 Glens Falls. She loves the soft going and Jonathan Sheppard seems to have figured out this 5 year-old mare.

Race 6 is the G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational where 14 were nominated and 6 three year-olds and older are contesting the $500,000 race. This is kind of a repeat of the Flower Bowl. #1 Cape Blanco is way way better then the other five. His two starts with Lasix in the US were super as he beat Gio Ponti twice in G1 races. #5 Winchester ran quite well in the 1.5 mile G1 Sword Dancer.

Race 7 is the G1 Vosburgh Invitational at six furlongs. Nine of the 14 nominees are running for the $350,000 purse. I am looking for an upset here. #6 Big Drama (SCRATCHED) is the 2010 Breeders Cup Sprint champion and the best sprinter in 2010 and January of 2011. Then he disappeared until 4Sep11 whe he ran in an easy stake at Calder. He won with a BSF of 88. I don't think he will be in top form to win this speedy speedy race. The race sets up perfectly for #8 Trappe Shot who will close and get the win. I hope he is a decent price, 5-2 or better. #4 Euroears may love the dirt and show even more speed than he already has displayed. No trainer is better than Bob Baffert at getting ready for the big ones.

Race 8 is probably the race I am looking forward to the most. The G2 Kelso Handicap has #3 Uncle Mo running in his second race back from his liver ailment. I still believe that Uncle Mo will become a superstar. He is my pick. I will use #2 Jackson Bend and #1 Jersey Town as back-ups.

Race 9 is the G1 Beldame and features #5 Havre de Grace who many feel is the best horse in the country. She beat the boys in the G1 Woodward during the last week at Saratoga. She should toy with these girls. If something goes wrong then #2 Royal Delta will pick up the pieces.

Race 10 is the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, a race that has a great list of past winners. #4 Stay Thirsty was once thought of as the second stringer in the Repole/Pletcher barn behind Uncle Mo. This summer his two wins at Saratoga have made him a star. He is the only horse in this race to win a G1 and to have more than 1 win for this year. The mile and a quarter distance suits him perfectly. My upset picks are #5 Drosselmeyer , the 2010 Belmont Stakes winner, who may be ready for a top effort thanks to Bill Mott. Note that if the upsets pile up that Mott could have a really big day! The #1/1A entry has to be used as back-ups.

So in the late pick 4 it is: 4,8 with 1,2,3 with 2,5 with 1,4,5. The top choices are 8/3/5/4 and that is a pretty chalky ticket that will need to be played more than the other tickets. A likely ticket: 4,8 with 2,3 with 2,5 with 1,4.

RAPID REDUX Goes for 18 in a Row!

Rapid Redux is entered in the eighth race at Mountaineer Racetrack (MNR) on Friday night. RR will be going for his 18th consecutive victory. Once again he will be running in a Alw5000s, a starter allowance for horses that have run for a claiming tag of $5,000 in 2010-2011. The runners are NOT eligible to be claimed. Post time for the race will be 9:55pm ET.

I will be on TWITTER @AndyScoggin beginning at 7:30pm on Friday night. Once again I will be tweeting all kinds of fun facts about Rapid Redux and the other horses in his race. Please join me for what should be a great way to rest your weary bones after a long work week.

Also, I will be taking on HorseRacingNation.com managing editor, Brian Zipse, in this week's Point/Counterpoint debate. The topic is: "Are the three year-olds or the older horses having a better year?" I am presenting the three year-old point of view. I am really proud of my column. Brian's racing knowledge is amazing and his writing is just as good. This is scheduled to be posted on Wednesday. Join in the debate. Here is the link for the Point/Counterpoint.

Day 57 - Sunday, September 25, 2011

Day 57 of the Monmouth Summer, now Fall meeting. Pretty much a strikeout yesterday with the sloppy then muddy track playing out to be very speed favoring. Today there is no turf racing again. We are probably getting close to the time that the turf course will close completely. Today's ticket works to be $32, not our usual configuration. I will call it a Mike Curci ticket because the Monmouth TV guy ALWAYS makes his PP6 a 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2. Here is hoping we hit today because otherwise we will be back in the red for the meeting: 3,8 with 1,5 with 1,6 with 6,13 with 2,4 with 4,7.

UPDATE - 8:31pm - Yes, we hit the PP6 again. Our $32 ticket produced a $130.35 PP6 payout. We only had it one time, but we got a nice payout because our horses came in the top 2 with some long shots.

race 4: our 5/2 finished second to a 13-1 horse
race 5: our 5-1 won with a 6-1
race 6: 0ur 9/2 placed behind a 4-1
race 7: 0ur 2-1 was second to a 6-1
race 8: our 2-1 wins with a 2-1
race 9: 0ur 3-1 placed behind a 9-1


This is the ninth PP6 that AndyScoggin was picked so far!

Day 56 - Saturday, September 24, 2011

I had a quick a fternoon at the races today watching from Favorites in Woodbridge. Races six through nine at Belmont were run on a very sloppy main track or soft boggy turf course. It was all very rushed and I am only writing because I did quite well due to NYRA's expe rt in the paddock, Maggie Wolfendale. She is flat out amazing. Maggie only commented on three of those races but gave out two $11.00 winners. I bet both to win and then caught a trifecta because of her advice. If you are playing the NYRA tracks you must listen to what she has to say! Here is a link to an article that a Tweep of mine @loomsboldy wrote about Maggie. Pete is awesome, so enjoy.
http://unbearablebetting.com/2011/08/08/monday-my-interview-with-maggie-wolfendale/

At Monmouth Saturday's races are already off the turf, so now begins the task of trying to guess who will stay in those races.

Saturday, 9:30am - Here are some preliminary thoughts about today's Place Pick 6. Because of the rain, no turf racing, and the probability of many scratches, I am going to start out with a very broad ticket that will be narrowed down before the fourth race goes off. An asterisk * will mark preferred choices.

9 with 1,2,6,7* with 6*,9*,11 with 4,9*,10 with 11,13,14 with 2,4

Be back later with updates to the ticket.

Update - 1:55pm - After scratch $36 ticket:
9 with 1,6,7 with 9,11,12 with 9,10 with 11,14 with 2,4

The Pennsylvania Derby Brings Me Back to Philadelphia Park

I have spent a lot of time at Philadelphia Park over the years, especially on the backstretch. My assignment to write about the PA Derby got me thinking about those days. Read it at horseracingnation.com.

On HRN.com you will also find some a great debate about Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert.  The best thing about HorseRacingNation.com is that you are always invited to join in the discussions! See you there.

Day 55 - Sunday, September 18, 2011

Yesterday was the biggest Place Pick 6 payoff of the year. It was also the eighth time that we hit the PP6. Showing a profit for the whole Monmouth meeting would be an accomplishment of merit. Here is the spreadsheet for the entire summer.
We have had a couple of tough periods, but lately we have been hitting the PP6 on a regular basis. Today it will be an $18 play: 5,7,9 with 3,7 with 5,6,9 with 4 with 1 with 6,8.

Remember to follow @AndyScoggin on Twitter and Racing at the Jersey Shore at HorseRacingNation.com. This week I will writing a piece about the $1,000,000 grade II Pennsylvania Derby which will be run this Saturday, September 24, at Parx racetrack.

Day 54 - Saturday, September 17, 2011

UPDATE - 5:10pm - With a great result of hitting an exacta in the last leg of the Place Pick 6, we have two winning tickets of $163.25 to collect a total of $326.50. That is the largest amount that we have collected in the PP6 this summer. That profit of $290.50 puts us in the black for the meeting!
Today is the NJ Thoroughbred Festival at Monmouth Park. All races are restricted to NJ-breds, including three stakes races. There is a back pack giveaway, also.

Here is the preliminary Place Pick 6 ticket and then I will be back later with any updates and to talk about Rapid Redux's 17th consecutive win last night.

Final Place Pick 6 Ticket: 11 with 3,5,6 with 1,6 with 3,6 with 2,9 with 5,6,8,10(scr). This is our standard $36 play.

I just love what Rapid Redux is doing. He dominated last night's race for win number 17. I am rooting for him to break the record of 19. If you missed the race and my pre-race tweets. Let me do a recap of the tweets and add in some photos.

•Rapid Redux was claimed last October for $6,500 by his owner Robert Cole Jr.
•Tonight's Alw 5000s at CT for Rapid Redux has a purse of $20,000. Thanks to the Hollywood Casino and Slots.
•Rapid Redux is eligible for the $5000 starter alllowance races until Jan.1, 2012.
•During the streak Rapid Redux has run at 7 different tracks and has been ridden by 7 different jockeys.
•Rapid Redux lifetime is 36: 22-1-1 for $292,144.
•Rapid Redux is by Pleasantly Perfect (Pleasant Colony) out of a Storm Cat mare, Thiscatsforcaryl. Foaled on Feb. 24, 2006.
•JD Acosta is up on Rapid Redux again tonight. For the year Acosta 644: 125-98-88 for .19 winning rate.
•In his last 10 races Rapid Redux has only one call where he wasn't on the lead and that was a second just out of the gate.
•Rapid Redux's dam has had ELEVEN other foals! 6 of them are winners.
•Rapid Redux's trainer David Wells has 218 starters and 58 wins for 27%
•Rapid Redux is 2 for 2 at CT. He had his highest career BSF of 94 at CT.
•Post time for race 8 is 10:25 ET.
•I love this: Rapid Redux's trainer says he is best going THREE turns for the 1 and 1/16 distance.
•Rapid Redux is currently 1-9!
•Rapid Redux in the post parade.
•On the lead Rapid Redux!
•Up by a length!
•Wins by 4!
•Rapid Redux winning number 17!
•Rapid Redux earnings now over $300,000.

News About Some of Our Favorite Horses

The five year-old claiming sensation Rapid Redux returns to the races on Friday, September 16th at Charles Town Race Track looking for his 17th consecutive win. Remember that Rapid Redux has won 16 in a row tying the great Citation and Cigar. 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta and New Mexico sensation Pepper's Pride got to 19 victories in a row! Here are some related links to read:
AndyScoggin blog about RR from September 5.
Brian Zipse's RR blog from HorseRacingNation.com
Bloodhorse.com preview for RR's upcoming race
Pepper's Pride's Wikipedia page
Pepper's Prides's profile page on HorseRacingNation.com
Citation's Wikipedia page

Also, Pinelands Pete is entered to run at Delaware Park on Wednesday, September 15, in a five furlong turf sprint. Pete ran very well in his only turf start early in the spring at Atlantic City race track. Let's with our friend Petey good luck. One of my first blogs for HorseRacingNation.com was about Pete and his trainer. Here is that link:
My Pinelands Pete blog on HorseRacingNation.com

Day 53 - September 11, 2011

Yesterday was one of those days. It was one of those days when weird stuff happens to you when you're betting the horses.

In the Pick 5 we had three winners and two second places. One of the missed races had a $94 winner that was from a trainer who was 0 for the meet and 0 forever with layoff horses. I could NEVER pick that horse. The other place finisher lost at the wire.

Also, during the sequence I really like #1 Quepos and had the horse in a lot of exacta bets. At the start of that race the #2 veered sharply into Quepos knocking Chuckie Lopez out of the saddle!

Finally I was alive to four horses in the final leg of Belmont's Late Pick 4. Of course, what happened? At the wire a 10-1 shot nosed out one of my picks and my horses finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

I'm not telling bad beat stories. It was just one of those days!

Today, I have a Place Pick 6 play and I may be back later with a Pick 5. In the PP6, let's go with the standard $36 ticket: 3,10 with 1,2,5 with 3, with 7,10 with 5,6 with 3,4,11.

Day 52 - Saturday, September 10, 2011

Remember there is a $5,092 Place Pick 6 carryover. Last time over $25,000 was bet into the Place Pick 6 carryover pool of $8,000 and produced a pay out of $86.25. Once again I am hoping to get my money back from this Saturday's carryover pool.

The featured race is The Mongo Queen which is a six furlong stake for fillies and mares. Mongo Queen won the 1978 grade one Sorority and the Colleen for two year-olds at Monmouth Park. For her career the West Virginia-bred won $277,837 with 8-13-6 results in 40 starts.

FINAL UPDATE - Saturday 1:35pm - Final Place Pick 6 Ticket for $36: 1,8 with 2,3,5 with 3,9 with 6 with 1,8 with 2,4,5.

In the Pick 5 here is the $81 ticket.
Update-9:30am - Races are OFF the turf, that means race 6 in our sequences. I am going to assume that top choices 3,5,6 will scratch. There will be one Top Choices only ticket for the Pick costing $54.
In the carryover Place Pick 6 here are two options. The standard $36 ticket: 3,4,8 with 2,5 with 13,14 with 6 with 1,8 with 2,4,5 or a larger $81 ticket: 3,4,8 with 2,3,5 with 13,14 with 6 with 1,6,8 with 2,4,5.

Look to see if there are any other scratches. I will not be able to post any other changes until around 2pm. GOOD LUCK!

SATURDAY ANALYSIS: posted Friday evening - Assumes races will be ON the turf.

Race 4 - Is #1 Sandy Key Gal going to finally run an untroubled race. Recent effort in speedy turf race was better than it appears. #3 Brown Eyed Nance comes out of the same race as #1. Trainer is 25% on turf to dirt. Was not bet at all in the first start. Good first start at 6.20-1 behind a repeat winner for #4 Last Minute Rose. #8 Sweet Moonbeam did not like the turf last race and had a difficult trip the race before that. Wire to wire?

Race 5 - #2 Jax Maxx almost always runs a good race. Last race was against a very tough bunch of J-breds. #3 Wing Glider is another competitor that finished second in a N3L beating a horse that came back to win. #5 Unleash the Humor has been running the best BSFs and is always in the thick of it. Claimed his last two races.

Race 6 - is filled with horses who have run well on the turf but don't seem to want to win: #5 Concorde County has three seconds in six starts, #6 Raging Rozea three seconds in 7 tries, #8 Scappare finished third three times in 8 races, #11 Key to the Empire 6 money finishes, and #14 Doodleman 2 seconds and 2 fourths in 6 tries. S0 that leads us to #3 Manresa Road won ran a close third in a very fast 7F turf race at Bel in July. Irish bred owned by the Tabor gang was no doubt sent to the US to run on lasix. Figures to be a big favorite, but a likely winner. Out of the above group #6 will be used in the Place Pick 6 to be second again!

Race 7 - A NW1 allowance filled with front runners and a few reluctant winners. #6 Champagne Run is trained by Steve Asmussen and gets Elvis Trujillo. Horse has the best BSF and the most class coming off a good 2nd place going 7F at SAR. She had the best maiden win against a comeback winner. Narrowly lost to Cascadilla Falls in her first start. C. Falls had a great SAR meet. Want to see the #6 stalk the speed and go by the tiring horses.

Race 8 - #8 Unwritten was claimed three races ago and came back to win a non J-bred beaten claimer and then ran a good 4th in a tough open conditional NW2 claimer. Now drops back into a J-bred race. Last year he dominated the state bred stakes at MTH. #1 Quepos will come charging as always. Last race was a mile which he doesn't prefer and now cuts back to 6F. He hasn't won in two years. Is today the day? #6 Cause I Can has been away since March. Three starts this year were against much better and two were on turf which he does not like. He ran well against J-breds last summer. A threat if ready.

Race 9 - #2 Golden Mystery moved to the barn of JC Guerrero from Marty Wolfson. I am not a big fan of Wolfson, although many are huge supporters. Guerrero's first time and layoff stats are superlative. #4 Hour Glass was very competitive in graded sprints last year. Her best should win here. Trujillo for Pletcher is 3 out of 4 with a crazy ROI of $6.20! #5 D'cats Meow is trained by the super hot conditioner Jane Cibelli. Her horses have been stringing together three, four wins off of claims. #5 is another one of them.

Race 10 - #1 Mo's Mini Skirt finished second going a mile 70 and the third place finisher came back to win. Puts blinkers on. #3 Nen's Chocolate gets a favorable jockey change from a third place finish. Trainer Pierce has been doing well lately and could improve to win this. #8 Miss Bar A is chosen by Mangalee off of a front running second place over the #3. Wire to wire here?

Check back on Saturday morning for the Place Pick 6 and Pick 5 tickets!

Havre de Grace

While we wait for the weekend and racing to resume at Monmouth, and remember that after Labor Day that only happens on Saturday and Sunday, let's take a look at the latest filly phenom, Havre de Grace. Last weekend she beat the boys in Saratoga's Woodward Stakes. Does she have a chance to be Horse of the Year? Larry Jones has trained many great horses. Where does Havre de Grace rank amongst them?
My latest article for HorseRacingNation.com looks at these questions. Take a look.

Day 51 - Monday, September 5, 2011

UPDATE - 4:45pm - Pick 6 CARRYOVER again $5,092.

The five year-old gelding Rapid Redux won his 16th straight race yesterday. He won in wire to wire fashion, pulling away with a quarter mile to go, coasting home for an easy 7 length victory in a $5,000 starter allowance at Timonium. Sixteen wins puts Rapid Redux in elite company with Citation and Cigar. Ahead are Zenyatta and Pepper's Pride who both won 19 consecutive races.

Read Brian Zipse's article about Rapid Redux at HorseRacingNation.com. Watch the video of win number 16.



In the fourth race a Monmouth today, two year-old Forward March makes his first in a 6 furlong MSW. Purchased for $2,050,000 in the Keeneland Septmeber yearling sale of 2010, the colt is trained by Shug McGaughey. He had one workout in Saratoga in May and then shifted to Belmont for the rest of his training and now starts at Monmouth. Curious, I don't expect, much from the horse.

Let's try the two ticket approach to the Place Pick 6 again today. AndyScoggin is getting close the profit line for the meeting for the Place Pick 6.

Ticket 1: 1 with 3,5 with 7,10 with 4,10 with 2,8,9 with 1,2,10. = $36
Ticket 2: 1,2,9 with 3 with 6,7 with 4,10 with 2,7,9 with 1,10. = $36

Like yesterday check the scratches because the tickets could change.

UPDATED TICKETS with scratches. UPDATE II with another scratch.
Ticket 1: 2,10 with 3,5 with 7,10 with 10 with 1,8,9 with 1,2,10. = $36
Ticket 2: 2,5 with 3 with 5,6,7 with 4,10 with 7,8,9 with 1,10. = $36

Day 50 - Sunday, September 4, 2011

UPDATE - 2:50pm - Scratches caused changes in the tickets, which I tweeted, but here they are:

Ticket 1: 2,3,8 with 3,7,9 with 3,6 with 6,8 with 6,8 with 5. = $36
Ticket 2: 2,9,10 with 1,5,7 with 7 with 6,8 with 5,8 with 5,9. = $36

UPDATE - 5:10pm - Ticket 2 started with an exacta and went the rest of the way for an $86.25 payout, but we had it twice for a total of $172.50. I played one other smaller ticket that combined some stuff from Tickets 1 and 2 and I caught it one more time! I hope you played along!

THANK YOU to my readers because today AndyScoggin in NJ passed 4,000 hits.

Today is the first carryover in the 50¢ Place Pick 6 at Monmouth. So there is $8,307 of essentially free money in today's pool. Although $36 of it is mine and I want to get it back today. The plan of attack is two overlapping $36 tickets with different singles. The first two races are the toughest, so we will go 3 deep in them with one common horse on each ticket. That gives us 5 horses covered in each race and who knows if the common horse comes in and we hit some exactas we could hit the payoff many times.

Ticket 1: 2,3,8 with 4,7,9 with 6,9 with 6,8 with 6,8 with 5. = $36
Ticket 2: 8,9,10 with 1,5,7 with 9 with 6,8 with 5,8 with 5,3. = $36
All common horses: 8 with 7 with 9 with 6,8 with 8 with 5. = $1

These tickets are pre-scratch. Let's cash today!