What a first week we had in the Pick 6 Challenge. Some big upsets made sure nobody got all 6 races, we had a Mr. Moneybags winner, and someone got skunked! Doh! Thanks to everyone who is playing this segment. The 2015 triple Crown Challenge will cover races from May 2nd Kentucky Derby to the Santa Anita Gold Cup June 27th. After the big weekend at the Derby, the races are quite light this week. Will that make it easy? We will see…
What’s up with the Past Performances links? Well, it seems like Brisnet is blocking some external links to the past performances. I’ve seen a few other blogs that have stopped linking directly to the past performances as well. This leaves me with two options: Provide a link to a trainer page that does have access to the Brisnet link, or provide a link to the Equibase “entries” page that has all the horses entered – and more. My preference is usually to link to the trainer page. But that’s what is up with the past performance links.
Race 1: The Peter Pan.
On to race one, The Peter Pan from Belmont. Small field, 5 horses, but still tough to handicap. The bettors like Wolf Man Rocket, Madefromlucky, and Two Weeks Off. Two Weeks Off is moving up in class, Madefromlucky has gone the distance twice, is a triple crown contender, and finished 4th in the Arkansas derby.
Race 2: The Ruffian Stakes.
In race 2 it’s hard not to like the coupled entry of Via Strata and Wedding Toast. Via Strata coming off 3 wins, and leading most of the way, she moves up in class though. House Rules has several graded stakes wins under her belt, and has finished 1st or 2nd in 6 of her last 8, often times against horses in this field. Princes Violet has 2 huge speed figures in her last 2, and has also finished 1st or 2nd in 9 of her last 10. Tough 2 races, I could see 6 or 7 picks off the board already.
Race 3: The Beaugay Stakes.
Race 3, also from Belmont is the Beaugay Stakes. Discreet Marq has the experience in graded stakes, so that’s something to like there. J Wonder, Radiator, and Photo Call all look like a toss up to me. Good luck!
Race 4: The Man O’ War Stakes.
Imagining looks pretty strong, and is coming off a win last race. Twilight Eclipse has a ton of 2,3 finishes, can he make the move to first today? Hardest Core put up a 104 last race, but finished 8th in the Breeders Cup Mile! Hyper is intriguing to me, if you throw out that last race, at 10-1 looks like a good $$$ bet.
Race 5: The Vanity Stakes.
The last two races take us out to Santa Anita. In the Vanity Stakes, Beholder has scratched already, leaving Warren’s Veneda, winner of her last 3 as the morning line favorite, and My Sweet Addiction with the talented Mike Smith as your two most likely best bets. Gas Total out of Brazil hasn’t seen a lot of graded stakes races, but foreign horses are always intriguing, if you can figure out their past performances.
Race 6: The American Stakes.
The last race, the American Stakes features our largest field, at 8! Bal a Bali brings a lifetime 12 11-0-1 record into this race. Yikes! Cornelio is a fan of Home Run Kitten, but he hasn’t been doing so well in 2015 as he did in 2014. Talco seems to be doing well in Santa Anita, winning his last 2. Winning Prize finished 2nd to Talco, and again could be one to watch if he can regain that form from 2014.
There you have it, small fields, but tough choices. Enjoy the day of racing. And remember, for those playing the Pick 6 Challenge looking for past performances, follow the links to the trainer pages, and then click “Ultimate PP” for the race you are looking for. Thanks everyone, and good luck. Watch out for the skunk!