1/5/13 SA Late Pick Four - Results

Now that's the way to kick off the New Year!  There was drama, there was intrigue, there was Providence; and in the end, there was a winning ticket.

RACE 6

Our play almost died right in the first act, as # 6 Make Us Proud (Final Odds 12.5-1), a horse not on any of our tickets, grabbed the early lead and stubbornly held on, finally losing by only a half length to # 4 Lamm (1.5-1).  Since # 2 Porfido (CHI) (3.0-1) finished third, our one dollar ticket was dead; so winning would mean cashing just for fifty cents.  For the record, # 9 Quindici Man (5.2-1) finished fourth.

RACE 7

# 6 Coil (1.8-1), our only single, and competing in the final race of his career before heading off to stud duty, runs perhaps the most courageous race of his career, tracking # 4 Ultimate Eagle (2.1-1) all the way around the track before finally gaining the lead just before the wire to win by a head.  Incidentally, if you had played Coil in a $2 Double with our three horses from Race 6, your six dollar investment returned $12.60.

RACE 8

# 11 Power Foot chased throughout and was rallying at the end, but could only gain the Show, a little over three lengths behind the winner, # 5 Klisz, who won by a mere half length over # 9 Circle the Moon (16.9-1).  As for # 6 Reach a Decision; well, Reach a Decision never made it to the gate, being scratched by the track veterinarian just a few minutes before Post Time.  Under California racing rules, that means we get the Post Time favorite in his place; but who was the Post Time favorite?  The tote board after the race showed both # 11 Power Foot and # 5 Klisz at 5-2; but by a matter of forty cents on the dollar (2.9-1 vs 2.5-1) it turns out that we were on the winner.  Still alive with just one more race to go!  Incidentally, if you had played our two horses in this race with Coil in the Double, your four dollar investment netted you a forty cent profit, thanks to the Consolation Double of 6-6; while playing our horses in the first three legs in a one dollar Pick Three resulted in a net loss, as the Consolation Pick Three of 4 / 6 / 6 was only worth $4.60.

RACE 9

So here we go, the final race of the late Pick Four, and we're alive to three horses.  # 4 Pumpkin Pie (3.7-1) would return $82.85 for our fifty cent Pick Four play if she won; but Pumpkin Pie just didn't have it Saturday, and finished ninth.  The leader from the gate was # 9 Scary Ride (2.0-1); if Scary Ride was to hold on in the stretch, our fifty cent Pick Four would be worth $43.30; not bad for a Pick Four comprised of four Post Time favorites.  But Scary Ride couldn't hold on in the stretch, and was caught at the wire by # 13 Secret Genius (21.6-1), filling out a Pick Four that paid $559.55 for half a buck.  Incidentally, if you played our horses in the last three legs in a one dollar Pick Three, you collected a consolation 6 / 6 / 13 payout of $56.60.

Hall of Fame pitcher Lefty Gomez is often credited with the quote, "I'd rather be lucky than good."  We'll never know if Reach a Decision would have won Race 8 had he not been a late scratch; however, we do know that we would not have had the eventual winner, Klisz, had Reach a Decision gone to post.  It should be mentioned that we also would not have been on Klisz had just a few more dollars been bet on our other selection, Power Foot.  Note also that all four victories in Races 6 through 9 were by a half length or less; it doesn't get much closer than that.  But in the end, I think it's fair to say that the Good Lord was with us Saturday, as our ten dollar investment netted a profit of $549.55.  I hope you all had it with me.

Onto the next race!

Peace and Love,

Jimbo