Foster Day RECAP + CASHES!
- Updated: June 29, 2020
Photo: Coady Photography
Stephen Foster (G2)
As we indicated, once you got past By My Standards and Tom’s d’Etat, there were no threats for the win spot. And it was that pair that comprised the Exacta at paltry odds of less than 2-1 each. Tom’s d’Etat enjoyed the perfect trip, pressing a modest pace before scooting away from an equally game By My Standards, who came from off the pace to easily take 2nd place, though lacking enough late foot to gain further on Tom’s d’Etat. Give the winner credit… he is still capable at delivering the big race at age 7 thanks primarily to how well he has been managed to minimize any wear and tear.
A Super Screener suggested Exacta ticket hit but not much to write home about with the co-favorites finish 1-2.
Fleur de Lis (G2)
Serengeti Empress had every advantage here but still could not get it done. I think it is time for that filly to find some softer targets and less ground. It was the other Super Screener “A” horse that left now doubt as to who the queen of the division is: Midnight Bisou showed her dominance just cruising to that impressive 8-length victory via a perfect trip.
It was the Super Screener’s two Top Long Shot picks, Motion Emotion and Another Broad that rounded out the Exacta and Trifecta with odds of 34-1 and 26-1, respectively, bolstering the payoffs on those Exotics, including the Super Screener suggested Exacta which returned a solid $234.
#7 Motion Emotion appears to be rounding back into that solid form we saw well over a year ago when as a 3 year-old she was making some noise in G3 affairs. Is another that will be pace advantaged here sitting just two lengths off #4 Serengeti Empress. Added ground will not pose a challenge for her. Getting good at the right time and offers a big price which provides some value on the under side of the Exacta.
Bashford Manor (G3)
The Super Screener’s two ‘A’ horses completed the Exacta with our Top Value play, County Final completing the Exacta at odds of 16-1. As the Super Screener detailed, these two horses stood out by far and away the best in the field despite County Final going off at those long odds.
Seven 2 year-olds will face off in this year’s renewal of the G3 Bashford Stakes as we kick off the 2 year-old stakes season in earnest. Steve Asmussen has two in here including the Super Screener Top Win and Top Board Hitter pick #6 Cazadero. This Street Sense colt will clearly benefit from more ground here. Was quite impressive in his debut as he broke second to last in an 11-horse field and then dueled through hot fractions before drawing away effortlessly winning by nearly 9 lengths. Popped a strong penultimate work in preparation for this. He will track #7 County Final and with plenty of reserve stamina, should put that one away but it will be close.
Speaking about #7 County Final, that is the Super Screener Top Value play and our other “A” horse. Despite that last effort coming on the CD turf course, the fact this colt threw out those monster fractions and still had enough to clear 9 other rivals bodes well for the move to dirt and going just a half furlong longer. He’ll probably be your pace leader here but will not have to run fractions anywhere close to what he submitted in his debut. Offers great value at odds of 6-1 or higher in this compact field.
As was the theme on this day the Exacta came back pretty chalky with the 4/5 favorite on top but thanks to the Top Value play coming in 2nd at 16-1, the suggested Exacta wager returned $162.
Regret (G3)
What went right in this race is that the Super Screener’s top “B” horse and 4th overall choice, #10 Harvey’s Lil Goil, won this race at surprisingly solid odds of 11-1 providing much more value than the 5-1 Morning Line odds. In addition, #12 Pass the Plate, the Super Screener Top Board Hitter pick, finished 4th to complete the Superfecta. It was our other “B” horses that filled the 2nd and 3rd place spots.
Great to hear from some of you who used Harvey’s Lil Goil or Pass the Plate as “singles” in your Superfecta wagers and then used the other Super Screener “B” horses in the the slots to hit the decent Trifecta and Superfecta payoffs.
What went wrong in this race is that our top two “A” horses, Dominga and Hendy Woods, finished off the board with the latter finishing the best of all long shots in the race at 26-1 but no cigar. Dominga had no excuses this time in finishing 5th.
BELMONT
Vagrancy (G3)
Nope…there was not a single data point that would have had Victim of Love, the longest shot on the board, winning this race…not a chance. Do note, and you can see it in the replay, there was a burst of a torrential down pour that started as this race begun. It appeared to bother some of the horses as they jumped around failing to maintain a straight path with Come Dancing being the most obvious strayer of the bunch. Just something to tuck away for the next time any of these horses run back as this may not have been a representative race for them. At least the Super Screener Top Long Shot pick, Pacific Gale, finished 3rd at 15-1.
New York (G2)
When you can cut glacial fractions, throughout, on an open lead in these marathon races, more likely than not, you are going to win the race as Mean Mary did going unchallenged through anemic fractions of :25, :51.4, 1:16.1 and 1:39.1. She was anything but vulnerable on this day especially with that pace advantage. Give Chad Brown’s mare, My Sister Nat, credit as she finished 2nd after being last through the first mile leverage that deadly turn of foot to get up for 2nd. She defeated our Top Long Shot pick, Feel Glorious, by just a neck as that one completed the Trifecta as the long shot on the board going off at odds of 26-1.
True North (G2)
We handicapped this race for an off track and, of course, it came up fast as the rain that moved through was heavy but very brief and it only affected the surface, briefly. Firenze Fire is not a fan of an off track, as we noted, but with that fast track he was on his “A” game.
Wicked Trick was our top pick no matter what the track conditions turned out to be though a wet surface would have been better in this scratch-reduced field, but his 4th place finish was a disappointment.
Just A Game (G1)
The Super Screener Top Win pick went to Get Stormy but she ended up being a late scratch. Our next 3 horses were Uni, Newspaperofrecord and Beau Recall and that was the trio that made up the Trifecta. With the scratch of Get Stormy, it had to be clear that all the advantage would be with Newspaperofrecord as she would now receive no pressure and would be allowed to lope along on clear lead through soft fractions. This was a slow early/fast late kind of race. She got the perfect trip and easily held off our top ranked 10-1 plus horse, Beau Recall, for the win who ran really well considering the pace set up worked to her disadvantage and the fact that she outran Uni for 2nd with the latter mare clearly in need of that race off the 8-month layoff.
Belmont Park takes center stage once again in the midst of their abbreviated meet. It is Met Mile (G1) day and that race is supported by an undercard that features 4 other graded stakes races including the Manhattan (G1). Over on the West Coast, Los Alamitos will feature the Los Alamitos Derby (G3) and there will be several non-graded stakes carded from around the country to help ensure a solid line up for 4th of July racing!
Until this coming weekend, Go Fast and Win!
Mike
