This week, let’s give the nod to some lesser-known tracks. Tampa Bay Downs in Florida and Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia gain a Playfecta spotlight this week.
One of the smaller tracks on the thoroughbred racing circuit, Tampa Bay unfurls an impressive card featuring a Kentucky Derby prep race and more than $1 million in purses on Saturday. It has the best lineup of the day.
Charles Town delivered two terrific Bombs Away, The Salute to Long Shots paydays in back-to-back races on March 3. This can be a magnet for exotics bettors, who can reap major rewards from a low-level maiden or claiming race.
A Trip Around the Tracks
Tampa’s Saturday “Fect-Acular” includes:
- Tampa Bay Derby at $400,000. This race essentially guarantees the winner a berth in the May 7 Kentucky Derby
- Hillsborough Stakes at $225,000
- Florida Oaks at $200,000
- Michelob Ultra Challenge at $100,000
Tampa will disperse more than $1 million in purses on Saturday, which is an impressive achievement.
All the action is accessible via TVG. The Tampa card starts at 12:15 p.m., and the Tampa Bay Derby is at 5:23 p.m.
Besides Tampa, Oaklawn features a nice $350,000 event in the Azeri, while Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita have a couple of good races.
The Hurricane Bertie, a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, will be co-featured on Saturday’s Gulfstream program with the $100,000 Captiva Island, a five-furlong turf dash for fillies and mares.
Santa Anita unveils the $125,000 San Luis Rey Stakes at 7:30 p.m. EST and a big 10-horse field — appealing to exotics bettors — for its first race of the day at 3:30 p.m.
Aqueduct has 11-horse fields in an allowance race at 4:27 p.m. EST and a maiden claiming event at 5:27 p.m.
Sloppy track adds to handicapping variables
Bettors will consider another handicapping angle for Tampa Bay. The track is expected to be inundated with morning thunderstorms and afternoon showers.
This normally results in some scratches or races being taken off the turf. The Hillsborough at 3:14 p.m. and the Florida Oaks at 4:20 p.m. fall into this watch category.
It’s impossible to predict how much rain the track will get and how it will change the races. With a 98% precipitation probability two days out, bettors will need to factor that possibility into their thinking.
Watch for how the track is listed.
Fast is what Tampa is most of the time. That means it’s a normal surface, ideal for all participants.
Sloppy is what it could become if heavy rain falls in a short period of time. This normally favors speed horses, which can accelerate this surface’s running style. However, it’s tough on horses who have to rally because mud is being kicked in their face.
Good is what the track becomes after the rain has stopped and the surface hardens. It becomes heavier, tiring and favors closers.
Odds on some horses who have a history of running well in the slop may be changed significantly.
Rain can make the surface yielding, a benefit to closers on the turf.
Paco Lopez to take a seat
Gulfstream Park stewards announced on March 9 that jockey Paco Lopez has been suspended for 14 race days for careless riding in Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and has been placed on probation through the remainder of the Championship Meet.
Associate Steward Stephen DiMauro added that details were being worked out as to when Lopez would begin serving his days.
Lopez was aboard runner-up In Due Time in the Fountain of Youth and appeared to come out in A.P.’s Secret while spitting horses near the quarter pole and set off a chain-reaction spill when High Oak fell in traffic approaching the stretch, unseating jockey Junior Alvarado. Galt subsequently fell, avoiding his Bill Mott stablemate, also unseating jockey Joel Rosario.
Both horses escaped injury and walked back to the barn, while Rosario reported back soreness and Alvarado was taken to a nearby hospital to evaluate a sore ankle. The connections for Lopez were also fortunate that the horse was not disqualified from the race.
Bombs Away — The Salute to Long Shots
You know we always find one. But this time, we came up with two consecutive races at the same track.
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, affectionately dubbed “Charlie’s Town” by bettors who love its improbable results, struck the Playfecta jackpot last Thursday.
In consecutive races, “Charlie’s Town” produced a combined payout of nearly $50,000 for its $2 superfectas. (Many people don’t play $2 superfectas because of the expense, but it makes a good reference point.)
Both bombs-away payouts came in low-claiming company, another reminder to nationwide bettors that lucrative things often come in small race-track packages.
The big one, race 5, produced a whopping $1 superfecta payout of $17,359 in just an eight-horse field.
You figure something wacky had to happen there, and it did.
It occurred a few yards from the finish line in a manner no one could have foreseen.
Arnaldo Bocachica, the jockey who owns Charles Town with nearly twice the victories as his nearest competitor, was aboard 2-5 chalk Suzanne’s Sugar.
First tip: At Maiden Claiming $12,500 at Charles Town, no horse should ever be 2-5. Suzanne’s Sugar was a beaten second until taking a bad step and falling just before the finish line, as did Bocachica. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries.
What did that do to the race?
Safe Reezan prevailed at 9-1.
Valid Reason finished second at 15-1.
Bantam Rooster took third at 19-1, completing a $1 trifecta payout of $996.
Fourth went to Pigeon Forge at 45-1.
How this could have paid so well: There was no short-priced second horse. So when Suzanne’s Sugar went down, it was bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb for the top 4.
If a 2-5 chalk with the track’s top jockey can have a problem, any horse can. That’s why Charles Town is a great long shot track.
How could someone have “backed into” this payout? By boxing five horses in the 10-cent superfecta and hoping the right four ran in. The bet cost $12. It’s not uncommon to put a favorite with four long shots in this combo, and it had a chance with an eight-horse field.
This even outdid the fourth race, which paid a “pedestrian” $7,255 for a $1 superfecta and $1,777 for the $1 trifecta.
- The Big K won the race at 13-1
- Parishioner was second at 6-1
- Richie’s BL was third at 30-1
- Golden Hughes, the 4-5 favorite, was fourth
What happened: Richie’s BL drifted from 12-1 to 30-1, while Big K went from 8-1 to 13-1 in late betting. Where did that money go? On Golden Hughes, drilling him down to 4-5. The favorite got nipped for third, and long shot bettors danced in the aisles.
Wow. Don’t let anybody tell you there’s no excitement in the cheap races. Sometimes there’s nothing but excitement.
Leading jockeys and trainers
Seeing these names may help bettors make decisions in some borderline cases.
Gulfstream Leading Jockeys
By wins
Luis Saez: 102
Tyler Gaffalione: 70
Irad Ortiz: 49
By earnings
Saez: $4,096,803
Ortiz: $4,063,507
Gaffalione: $2,924,525
Leading Trainers
By wins
Saffie Joseph: 46
Todd Pletcher: 38
Antonio Sano: 23
By earnings
Pletcher: $4,428,070
Joseph: $2,109,420
Michael Maker: $1,216,300
Santa Anita leading jockeys
By wins
Flavien Prat: 62
Juan Hernandez: 36
John Velazquez: 28
By earnings
Prat: $4,774,796
Hernandez: $2,712,786
Velazquez: $2,036,768
Leading trainers
By wins
Phillip D’Amato: 25
Bob Baffert: 25
Doug O’Neill: 22
By earnings
Baffert: $2,571,920
D’Amato: $2,046,692
O’Neill: $1,458,950
