Baltimore Recap 2017

[PhantomOnTour]

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Let's see if this works

[JustRalph]

It's blank

[NJ Stinks]

Don't give up, Phantom. I enjoy your recaps! :ThmbUp:

[PhantomOnTour]

Tried to post a picture of my father, brother and myself but failed due to my remedial computer skills.
Speaking of remedial skills...our collective handicapping last weekend could have used a refresher course or two in "how to not pick horses who finish last"
With the exception of a few nice ones it was mainly bad luck and even worse handicapping.

We settled in at Pimlico on Thurs for the annual running of the worst card in Maryland...it didn't disappoint. It was a painfully formful day of win payoffs under $10 (and quite a few under $4) except for two bombs that I wouldn't have seen coming if they let me 'cap the race again.
Spotted a very nice overlay in the 1st at Bel but ran 2nd to a Hushion horse I didn't use. Then deja vu happened all over again in the 3rd when I had a Chatterpaul runner on the lead at the 1/8 pole at 19-1...and he was run down by another Hushion runner I didn't use. It's barely 2:35pm and I'm fargin' fit to be tied.
Only thing to do was tie one on at that point...and so I did something I very rarely ever do at the track...I began to drink, and Lord did it taste good!
I don't think I stopped until about 11pm Saturday night.

We get back to my sister's place in Canton, and are hustled to my nephew & his wife's Kickball League game...yep, kickball. Some hustle; the field was 200yds from their front gate. At any rate...I was thrilled to see that they are still using that red rubber ball that, if you remember, you could kick the ever living crap out of...and they did, but lost, just like we did at Pimlico. If you are into pattern recognition, you may have already seen what was in store for us the next two days at Old Hilltop.
But the kickball story is not over. You see, the clever youngsters who belong to a group called Baltimore Social, had the foresight and absolute genius to incorporate a drinking game called FlipCup into the league stats/standings...I don't know why, but when I heard this I blurted out the word "science!" like Thomas Dolby in his music video.
Not knowing exactly at which bar they would be playing FlipCup; my brother, brother in law & myself decided to play a little drinking game of our own.
They were in one of what must be scores of bars on O'Donnell Square in Canton, so we stopped into the first watering hole we could find and ordered a round. If we didn't see the group then we finished up & headed to the next bar, and so on. By the 4th bar my brother decided to up the ante by ordering a round and a round of shots...he's so smart, yet foolish.
We eventually found the scoundrels, and discovered that they had lost at FlipCup too. I decided to try my hand at this FlipCup and wound up schooling those youngsters at their own game....what a joke...down your beer and then place the plastic cup on the edge of the table and try to flip it upside down. Simple...and these kids need to learn how to hold their liquor. All tapped out at 10pm...sweet dreams sonny.

The three of us flitted around the Square for a few more hours and decided to call it a night after drinking a margarita out of a hubcap..i hate tequila.
We contemplated tearing down the big statue of O'Donnell, cuz ya know...seems like the thing to do these days....naaaaah.
Next thing I knew it was Friday, Black Eyed Susan Day, the greatest day of the year !

[PhantomOnTour]

So we hit the track Friday morning and I'm chomping at the bit...a little hungover, but chomping nonetheless, yeah?

Hold on:
need to go back to Thurs when I walk over to Pimlico's inside paddock to get a look at the flesh, and what comes strolling by in front of me? A horse whose walker was wearing a vest with SCHOOLING written on it. Okay, a weekend runner is getting used to the place, who is it? The second time he passes I look at the saddle and the initials CB were emblazoned on the upper right side. Which jockey has the initials CB !? ....Boyce? Bravo?...Forrest, Joe...no! no!
It dawned on me sometime Sat night that CB was of course Chad Brown. He had one other runner that weekend, so I can't say for sure, but there's a 50% chance the Racing Gods sent the Preakness winner for a stroll right under my nose...and I never knew it.
Told you I was drinking that day

The heat on Friday was stifling, ohhhhhpressive even. It basically took me out of my game immediately...90+ degree heat and a hangover do not mix.
Card begins and we take it slow the first few races. Took a foolish shot against heavy chalk Terra Promessa in Race 5, the Gr3 DuPont Distaff and watched her waltz around the track on an uncontested lead. I really liked Carrumba, but she could only do as good as 2nd under Javier Castellano, who was about to 'open a can' on these jockeys. He won the 6th on turf from the 12 hole for a very nice trainer in Arnaud Delacour.
Then he won the 7th, the Pimlico Special aboard chalk Shaman Ghost, who overtook and then fought off a game runner in Dolphus, who might be a pretty good horse.
Then he won the 8th, the Hilltop Stks

Hold On:
Speaking of the 8th...I kinda like the #6 here in the upcoming 8th at EvD. Gotta beat a heavy Broberg chalk but the 5-1 price is fair.
Let's see what happens

EDIT: he ran 3rd, Broberg won

[PhantomOnTour]

About midway through the card I finally met up with WhiffleWhizz and Jocko from this site.
On cue, Whizz had my customary 16oz cold Heineken waiting for me.
Yup, drinking again...whaddaya want me to do? It was steaming hot and we were losing our asses.
Took a shot on a silly horse in the Gr3 Miss Preakness and watched the very easy to have, top figure runner Vertical Oak destroy those gals at 6-1 :faint:
Back inside as it suddenly and delightfully began to storm at Pimlico...but not before I literally walked out into the rain for a minute and let it cool me off. It was glorious.
Whizz says he has another beer for me...only this time he shows up with 3 (three!) king sized Heinekens...my fate was sealed.

Caught the chalky exacta in the 100k Jim McKay Turf Sprint, and my brother had the maiden winner of the Gr2 Black Eyed Susan, Actress at around 7-1.
Another silly turf sprint was next, missed that, then missed the Skipat Stks (Javier got 2nd)...and then came the last race of the day.
Usually it's the last race after the Preakness where I'm the greatest handicapper of all time, but my one true moment of glory came a day early.
Mike Stidham, #10 Charged, 17-1, lived up to his namesake and made a huge charge to run them all down. Reminded me of a horse from about 10-12yrs ago at Pimlico named Fully Engaged, who did the same thing.
Had the win and exacta.

Nice to finish on a high note and restore some confidence for the big one, Preakness Day

[PhantomOnTour]

Preakness Day is incredibly long...first post is at 10:30am, and a mere 8.5hrs later they run the Preakness :faint:

We start out okay, hitting two of the first four races.
Race 5 is the first stakes race of the day, the 100k The Very One...guess who rode the winner? Javi...guess who didn't bet him? Me
Next

Missed a few more, including the 200k Chick Lang Stks, where I just couldn't have the Lukas runner who got 2nd. Nice job coach.
Yoshida made a rather rude and decisive move off the rail in the lane and put away her foes like a pro in the 100k James Murphy Stks on the turf. Easiest and most impressive winner of the weekend; she ran for about 8 strides, opened up and ended it under wraps.
Gr3 Maryland Sprint was all chalk with Whitmore & AP Indian.
The losing continued in the Gr3 Gallorette as my pick could only get 3rd under Rosario, Elysea's World, the other CB runner this weekend...guess I bet the wrong one, eh?
Lone bright spot was a very nice winner in the 100k Sir Barton, for the 'not quite ready for prime time' 3yr olds...No Mo Dough finished strong at a nice price under Jose Ortiz.
Then came the Gr2 Dixie and I was all on board the Javi train with the #8 Catapult. He got a terrible and stifling trip almost the whole way around and, not surprisingly, had no kick in the stretch. The angles they show on network coverage are fantastic, and gave you a real good look at how this guy never really got the chance to show his stuff. I will follow him.
Oops...seems there was another CB runner last weekend, and he got 2nd in this race, Projected. Guess we can knock those Racing Gods odds down to 33% :)

I somehow decided that the #1 Multiplier would get a dream inside trip in the Gr1 Preakness from mid pack. Instead, he fall far back under Rosario and was never a Factor at any call...see what I did there? Javi rode the winner.
Nonetheless, it was a fantastic race to watch along with 140,000 other folks in attendance! Even more so when you consider I watched the race arm in arm with my father and brother, as we've done for 17yrs now.
From our vantage point in the cheap seats between the 3/16 and 1/8 poles it was evident that Cloud Computing was going to get Classic Empire. It's a neat place to watch the races (upper stretch) and it's easy to spot who's going best as they straighten out for the drive.
Only my brother in law had the winner so we were happy for him. I tanked in the last race of the day :( and it was game over for 2017.

[PhantomOnTour]

This trip always launches my enthusiasm for the big summer campaign and the meat of the NYRA racing schedule. But damn, I'm struggling with these BRIS pp's & more importantly without my own figures, which I stopped making when life intervened about 2yrs ago. Bout time I got back down to business, but with the lifespan of the BRIS PP Generator expiring around 2019, I need to find pp's where I can insert my notes and figs and have them appear in future pp's.
Any suggestions?

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As I say each year, win or lose, this trip is more than just horse racing.

It was a trip of mixed emotions...thrilled for my recently married niece, thankful to make it back to Pimlico again with my loved ones, humbled and grateful at what Whizz and myself have been through this past year with our health, and saddened by the passing of our pal Dennis Milkowski, whom I met right there at Pimlico. I thought of him often and raised a glass in his memory.
Maybe two.
It was that kind of weekend.

[NJ Stinks]

Sounds like your seats were around where we used to get them - in the Grandstand Upper Reserved, Phantom. Best seats in the house for catching them going around the far turn into the deep stretch! I used to enjoy never being sure who won because of the angle but I guess that suspense is gone nowadays because of the huge screen in the infield.

Anyway, it's late but I just want to express my appreciation for your recaps. I'm sorry the betting didn't turn out better for you - I had a similar experience myself this year.

Between, I went Friday and Saturday for about 20 years - the last one I went to Tabasco Cat won for Lukas and Day. It makes me happy to know that three generations of your family can get together and really enjoy what I consider to be a tremendous jewel in a city I've always enjoyed. :ThmbUp::ThmbUp:

[Tom]

Sounds like a great weekend! :ThmbUp:

[headhawg]

...I'm struggling with these BRIS pp's & more importantly without my own figures, which I stopped making when life intervened about 2yrs ago. Bout time I got back down to business, but with the lifespan of the BRIS PP Generator expiring around 2019, I need to find pp's where I can insert my notes and figs and have them appear in future pp's.
Any suggestions?Equisim comes to mind; you can enter race and horse comments. However, you cannot edit the figs. I suppose you could load the Bris file into Excel and make fig changes there, save, and then use ES for your comments.

[cj]

It was a trip of mixed emotions...thrilled for my recently married niece, thankful to make it back to Pimlico again with my loved ones, humbled and grateful at what Whizz and myself have been through this past year with our health, and saddened by the passing of our pal Dennis Milkowski, whom I met right there at Pimlico. I thought of him often and raised a glass in his memory.
Maybe two.
It was that kind of weekend.

That's cool, thanks for that and for the whole recap!

[jocko699]

Phantom,

Great recap and it was a pleasure meeting you.

On a side note, I asked Phantom if he would like to join me in the winner's circle to watch the Preakness. He stated he could not because he always watched the Preakness with his Dad and brother. That is my type of guy!!!!

Geoff

[charm city whizz]

As always Preakness week delivers, almost impossible to not have a good time, just awesome that a whole family from Cajun country have this weekend circled every year to come up here!!!!!!!

358 days to go😂😂😂😂 to put into perspective gotta get through football season and March madness before we are 6 weeks away, man that's a long time

[RunForTheRoses]

:ThmbUp:

Great posts.

[PaceAdvantage]

Appreciate the recap Phantom...

[outofthebox]

Great recap Phantom...