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View Full Version : Awad Stks. 6/4/05 @ Arlington


sealord
06-01-2005, 08:23 PM
The Awad is a crumby little turf stakes race this Sat. at AP. Being that I'll be there, I've decided to focus on it, if for no other reason than that the PPs/entries are already available online now. For those interested, check out the AP homepage, horsemen, stakes PPs, and then equibase.com for the entries. I don't yet have any picks, but would love to know what you more experienced cappers have to say. I do this recreationally, and strictly for fun, so I don't have the experience like some of you guys do. If interested, I'll be working on it shortly, and will throw a couple of names out later. Hope to see some of you guys at Arlington on Saturday!

headhawg
06-04-2005, 08:38 AM
sealord,

Assuming that this goes on the turf (rain expected, I believe), the logical choice is the 5 Exceptional Ride. But I think that it will be too short a price for a beatable favorite so I will play the 9 Ready Ruler at 4-1 or higher. Has decent turf numbers and shows closing ability as well as some tactical speed. 57 day layoff, however, and seems to run better 2rd or 3rd after, so that's a bit troublesome.

Good luck.

HH

sealord
06-04-2005, 09:14 AM
HH-
I too think Exceptional Ride is the horse to beat but will also be too heavily bet. I'll put him in an exotic with Ready Ruler and Kid Grindstone. Grindstone doesn't quite have the class, but I like his running style, and he seems prepared. Also, his ML was 12-1 so its worth a risk. I might also throw Raving Rocket in a box trifecta too. It's a tough job betting on dirt to turfers for me: I don't really have much experience with those horses so we'll see. Thanks for the reply, and maybe I'll see you there.
Jeff

tonto1944
06-04-2005, 10:56 AM
I like Ready Ruler ,he might be ready for a big race and I think you get 5/1 or better.

sealord
06-04-2005, 10:28 PM
Well, missed a close one today. After a ridiculous amount of handicapping, I narrowly missed the trifecta because I left Raving Rocket out of my box. Don't ask me how, as I had him in my other box, but poor planning left me without a winning ticket. Kid Grindstone raced a nice race but got checked in the backstretch and never fully recovered to take fourth. I had him solidly in the money, as did the public since he was bet down from 12-1 to about 8-1. Oh well, what a day. First time at AP, and boy was I impressed! Nicest track people I've ever met.

headhawg
06-04-2005, 11:48 PM
sealord,

You missed it??? I thought for sure that you had RR in the tri box as you mentioned in your post. Damn the bad luck!

Nice to hear your comments about the people at AP. Hopefully we get a chance to meet the next time you are down thisaway.

HH

sealord
06-05-2005, 05:21 AM
HH-
Yeah, I blew it BIG time! My lack of money mgmt/betting decisions experience showed up. If I had boxed the four horses instead of two, three horse boxes, I would have profited nicely. Instead I made a poor decision and came up short. I'm really having a tough time swallowing this one. I mean, I spent days 'capping this ONE race only to pick the right horses but on the wrong ticket. I'll assume every sucessful handicapper has a couple like this, but it was my only focus all day, and to make a betting (not 'capping) mistake like this hurts badly. Oh well, live and learn. I am still learning the game, and feel like I'm making progress, but it shoulda been money in my pocket.
Getting back to AP: I've been to Calder, Churchill, Belmont and Tampa, and this was HANDS DOWN the nicest track I've ever been to! Every detail was right,and I even sat in with Denis Savard (Blackhawk Hall of Famer) on his TV broadcast and got to ask a couple of questions.
Also note: 8 out of 10 favorites won today. I find that interesting.....especially after the torrential rainfall they had. Any explanations or just strange racing luck? We even bet a number 12 horse over 'ALL' in one exacta and hit for twenty bucks, lol. Also moved one turf race to dirt AFTER two previous turf races had run on the grass, and the rain had stopped for hours! Guess they figured it was getting worn out.
One more thing and I'll quit: the fractions on the 'yielding' grass and the 'muddy' dirt were very fast in relation to class (or so I thought). I find this interesting and wonder how frequent this situation arises. Made for fun races and great action.
Jeff