10/2/21 Santa Anita All Graded Stakes Pick Four - Results

Race 8 - The Santa Anita Sprint Championship - # 1 Dr. Schivel (Final Odds 1.80*) - "B" Selection

Race 9 - The Rodeo Drive - # 4 Going to Vegas (1.10*) - "A" Selection

Race 10 - The Awesome Again - # 5 Medina Spirit (1.30*) - "C" Selection

Race 11 - The John Henry Turf Classic - # 4 United (1.40*) - "A" Selection

Watching the Post Time Favorite win the Santa Anita Sprint Championship for fun was not what I had in mind when I punched the "ALL" button in that leg.  And I certainly wasn't expecting Medina Spirit to absolutely dominate a field of older runners without having to go all out in the Awesome Again.  So, for those (and other) reasons, Saturday was a day for me to contribute instead of collect.

Oh well; onto the next race.

Meanwhile, those who had the correct All Graded Stakes Late Pick Four sequence of  1 / 4 / 5 / 4  were rewarded with a payout of $37.75 for their fifty cent wager.  May God bless them as they spend their winnings.

Peace and Love,

Jimbo

10/2/21 Santa Anita All Graded Stakes Pick Four - Preview

"The choices you make and the actions you take determine your direction daily." - LeAura Alderson

It's opening weekend in Arcadia, California, and you couldn't ask for a better card for the first Saturday Action of the meet.  So with that as intro let's just get to it, as I take a run at The All Graded Stakes Pick Four at The Great Race Place.

RACE 8 - The Santa Anita Sprint Championship (Grade 2) - Six Furlongs Dirt

A's

# 6 Collusion Illusion (Morning Line 4-1)

B's

# 1 Dr. Schivel (ML 2-1)

# 2 Vertical Threat (ML 6-1)

# 3 Colt Fiction (ML 8-1)

# 4 C Z Rocket (ML 5-2)

# 5 Flagstaff (ML 7-2)

C's

None

Yeah, I could probably eliminate Vertical Threat from the main ticket; but no one wants to go "ALL but one" in any leg of a multi-race wager.  I was tempted to make C Z Rocket my top choice, he being the defending champ and all; but the fact that C Z Rocket has disappointed as the Post Time Favorite in each of his last three contests kinda scared me off.

Instead I decided to give Collusion Illusion the top spot.  Toss Collusion Illusion's last race where he was simply proving that he wanted no part of the grass, and factor in that this will be Collusion Illusion's first try with the hood on, and I think Collusion Illusion has a real chance to outrun his odds.

RACE 9 - (F) The Rodeo Drive (Grade 1) - Ten Furlongs Turf

A's

# 4 Going to Vegas (ML 5-2)

B's

# 1 Dogtag (ML 4-1)

# 7 Magic Attitude (GB) (ML 5-1)

C's

# 2 Fast Jet Court (Brz) (ML 10-1)

# 3 Neige Blanche (Fr) (ML 8-1)

# 5 Rideforthecause (ML 15-1)

# 6 Crystalle (ML 20-1)

# 8 Luck (ML 3-1)

# 9 Red Lark (Ire) (ML 10-1)

Going to Vegas projects to be the one that they'll have to catch to win, as this is a field without much early foot.  Dogtag, Place runner behind Going to Vegas last time out in the Grade 2 John C Mabee at Del Mar, may benefit from the additional real estate as well as the change of venue.

Magic Attitude (GB) probably won't have enough pace to chase in order to show off his best; but Magic Attitude is just too classy in my opinion to leave off the main ticket.  The backup "C" Selections are everyone else.

RACE 10 - The Awesome Again (Grade 1) - Nine Furlongs Dirt

A's

# 7 Tripoli (ML 3-1)

B's

# 8 Idol (ML 5-1)

C's

# 1 Tizamagician (ML 4-1)

# 2 Midcourt (ML 12-1)

# 3 Express Train (ML 4-1)

# 4 Stilleto Boy (ML 20-1)

# 5 Medina Spirit (ML 5-2)

# 6 Azul Coast (ML 12-1)

Tripoli, winner of the Grade 1 Pacific Classic last time out, has really upped his game since getting off the lawn.  Idol, winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap last time, could be the one running best late in a contest that has more than its fair share of early speed.  The backup "C" Selections are everyone else.

RACE 11 - The John Henry Turf Championship (Grade 2) - Ten Furlongs Turf

A's

# 4 United (ML 5-2)

B's

# 5 Ready Soul (ML 12-1)

# 6 Acclimate (ML 9-2)   

# 7 Master Piece (Chi) (ML 5-1)

# 8 Count of Amazonia (Ire) (ML 12-1)

C's

# 1 Award Winner (ML 12-1)

# 2 Camino Del Paraiso (ML 15-1)

# 3 Neptune's Storm (ML 6-1)

# 9 Media Blitz (ML 20-1)

# 10 Red King (ML 15-1)

# 11 Cupid's Claws (ML 12-1)

# 12 Friar's Road (ML 15-1)

Scratch # 13 K P All Systems Go (ML 20-1)

United, last year's winner of this event, could improve going third off the layoff.  Ready Soul and Count of Amazonia (Ire) are two moving up in class that could surprise with a late charge through the drive.

Acclimate projects to be forwardly placed early, and Acclimate could be tough to catch late.  Master Piece (Chi), making his second start for Trainer Mike McCarthy, looks well meant here.  The backup "C" Selections are the rest of the field.

OK, that's the analysis.  Playing my tickets in modified Crist fashion, I get:

All A Entries

$1.00 P4: 6 with 4 with 7 with 4 $1.00

All A Entries with All B Entries

$0.50 P4: ALL with 1,4,7 with 7,8 with 4,5,6,7,8 $90.00

A's with One C

$0.50 P4: 6 with 2,3,5,6,8,9 with 7 with 4 $3.00

$0.50 P4: 6 with 4 with 1,2,3,4,5,6 with 4 $3.00

$0.50 P4: 6 with 4 with 7 with 1,2,3,9,10,11,12 $3.50

Total: $100.50

Post Time for Race 8 is 7:06 EDT / 4:06 PDT.  Good luck to all.

Peace and Love,

Jimbo

9/26/21 Remington Park All-Stakes Pick Four - Results

Race 9 - The Ricks Memorial - # 4 Golden Curl (Final Odds 2.20*) - "B" Selection

Race 10 - The David M Vance - # 8 Greeley and Ben (1.50*) - "A" Selection

Race 11 - The Oklahoma Derby - # 3 Warrant (3.20) - "B" Selection

Race 12 - The Remington Green - # 3 Spooky Channel (2.60*) - "A" Selection

Not much to say regarding Sunday's sequence in Oklahoma, as all four events ran true to form, with three races being won by the Post Time Favorite, and the other winner paying just $8.40 on top.  Fortunately I didn't outsmart myself when placing my wagers, and I therefore was able to collect.

For the record, here are the $0.50 Will Pays for the other five runners to which I would have cashed in the nightcap:

# 1 Sunlit Song (4.40) - $157.65 Finish: 2nd

# 5 Tut's Revenge (3.60) - $112.80 Finish: 3rd

# 10 Don'task Don'ttell (10.00) - $262.75 Finish: 6th

# 11 Megacity (4.10) - $128.20 Finish: 7th

# 12 Spirit Animal (15.90) - $498.30 Finish: 5th

But that's what might have been.  What actually came to be was a correct All-Stakes Pick Four sequence of  4 / 8 / 3 / 3  which paid $69.20 for a fifty cent wager.  That makes for a profit of $3.20 on my initial $66 investment; or approximate odds of 0.05-1.  Which sure ain't much; but I guarantee you that you'll never see me turn my nose up at profit.

I hope you all had it with me.  May God bless us as we spend our winnings.

Onto the next race!

Peace and Love,

Jimbo

9/26/21 Remington Park All-Stakes Pick Four - Preview

"Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

It's Oklahoma Derby Day at Remington Park, and the good people at Oklahoma City have once again put together a monster card featuring eight stakes, including a couple of the Graded variety.  So with that as introduction let's just get to it, as I take a run at the All-Stakes Pick Four at Remington Park.

RACE 9 - (F) The Ricks Memorial $60k - Eight and a Half Furlongs Turf

A’s

# 5 Valentines Day (Morning Line 8-1)

B's

# 4 Golden Curl (ML 4-1)

# 6 Island Hideaway (GB) (ML 6-1)

C's

# 1 Klayton's Kandy (ML 5-1)
# 2 Good Fight (ML 15-1)

# 7 Brandons Babe (ML 8-1)

# 8 Zamzam (ML 20-1)

# 9 Martz's Mae (ML 20-1)

Scratch # 3 Curlin's Journey (ML 8-5)

Needless to say, the scratch of the 8-5 Morning Line Favorite certainly changes the complexion of this contest; even is said Morning Line Favorite did perform quite poorly in the 2020 edition of this event.

Valentines Day has been having some difficulty finding the Winner's Circle of late.  But Valentines Day certainly loves this turf course, and Valentines Day is getting some class relief off her recent efforts.

Golden Curl closed quite well in her last start out at Del Mar, and could be the one running best late.  Island Hideaway (GB), making her 2021 debut, looks to have been working well for this event.  The backup "C" Selections are the rest of the field.

RACE 10 - The David M Vance $150k - Six Furlongs Dirt

A’s

# 8 Greeley and Ben (ML 3-1)

B's

# 3 Nitrous (ML 4-1)

C's

# 1 Empire of Gold (ML 6-1)

# 2 Bybee (ML 15-1)

# 4 Long Range Toddy (ML 8-1)

# 5 Welder (ML 7-2)

# 6 Mr Money Bags (ML 8-1)

# 7 It Makes Sense (ML 15-1)

# 9 Share the Upside (ML 8-1)

Greeley and Ben, winner of his last eight in a row, looks much the best here, and a good case could be made for making Greeley and Ben a big ticket single.  But I've included Nitrous on the main ticket because I think Nitrous needed that last race off the layoff, and Nitrous certainly fits well here on class.  The backup "C" Selections are everyone else.

RACE 11 - The Oklahoma Derby (Grade 3) - Nine Furlongs Dirt

A's

# 7 Mr. Wireless (ML 3-1)

B's

# 1 Super Stock (ML 7-2)

# 3 Warrant (ML 5-2)

C's

# 2 Flash of Mischief (ML 8-1)

# 4 Parrot Head (ML 20-1)
# 5 Team Merchants (ML 6-1)

# 6 Defeater (ML 12-1)

# 8 Dial in for Lute (ML 15-1)

Mr. Wireless, winner of four of his last five, including a pair of Grade 3 events, looks well meant here.  Super Stock, winner of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby back in April, seems to enjoy the nine furlong distance.

Warrant, trained by Brad Cox, couldn't catch up to Mr. Wireless last time out in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby; perhaps Warrant will fare better with the change of venue.  The backup "C" Selections are the rest of the field.

RACE 12 - The Remington Green $100k - Nine Furlongs Turf

A’s

# 3 Spooky Channel (ML 7-2)

B's

# 1 Sunlit Song (ML 6-1)

# 5 Tut's Revenge (ML 9-2)

# 10 Don'task Don'ttell (ML 8-1)

# 11 Megacity (ML 5-1)

# 12 Spirit Animal (ML 8-1)

C's

# 4 Guided Missile (ML 30-1)

# 6 Popular Kid (ML 12-1)

# 7 Carlea's Dream (ML 15-1)

# 8 Fred'stwirlincandy (ML 20-1)

# 9 Singapore Flash (ML 12-1)

Scratch # 2 Box Seat (ML 30-1)

Spooky Channel took the Place last time out in the $125k Kentucky Downs TVG Preview Turf Cup last time out, and Spooky Channel could move up with the cutback in distance.  Sunlit Song is the defending champ for this event, and Sunlit Song tends to do well at today's distance.

Tut's Revenge and Megacity project to be the ones leading the field early; should one stumble the other may get loose on the front end.  Don'task Don'ttell could get a nice pressing trip and first run at the early leaders.

Spirit Animal could be the one running best late.  The backup "C" Selections are the rest of the field.

OK, that's the analysis.  Playing my tickets in modified Crist fashion, I get:

All A Entries

$1.00 P4: 5 with 8 with 7 with 3 $1.00

All A Entries with All B Entries

$0.50 P4: 4,5,6 with 3,8 with 1,3,7 with 1,3,5,10,11,12 $54.00

A's with One C

$0.50 P4: 1,2,7,8,9 with 8 with 7 with 3 $2.50

$0.50 P4: 5 with 1,2,4,5,6,7,9 with 7 with 3 $3.50

$0.50 P4: 5 with 8 with 2,4,5,6,8 with 3 $2.50

$0.50 P4: 5 with 8 with 7 with 4,6,7,8,9 $2.50

Total: $66.00

Post Time for Race 9 is 8:04 EDT / 5:04 PDT.  Good luck to all.

Peace and Love,

Jimbo

And We're Back!

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.  And so I'm back.  And while this place is definitely humble, it is also much easier to manage than the other site.  Hopefully all the problems that led to the initial move are now a thing of the past, and I'll be hanging out here again for a long time to come.

Hopefully.

Peace and Love,

Jimbo

We've Moved!

Jimbo on Thoroughbreds can now be found at the following location:

https://jimbomatthews.wixsite.com/website

Thanks for visiting, and I hope to see you at the new place!

Onto the next race!

Peace and Love,

Jimbo