Weekend Review

Weekend Overview: The Triple Crown Trail was turned on its head, both turf divisions featured some shocking results and we saw the emergence of a few more Oaks contenders. There was not a ton of racing going on this weekend but there were some very important races and results. Perfect Drift made his 2007 debut sporting blinkers and running a decent second over the Polytrack to Stream Cat. It might look like a disappointment on the face of it but Stream Cat was in my opinion one of the best 3yo turf milers from last year. Hopefully he will develop into something. It was also nice to see Bordonaro get back on track in the Count Fleet.

Performance of the Week: I thought Silent Name looked fantastic in the Commonwealth. it was his first time trying any surface other than Turf and it looks like it rejuvenated him. I have long considered him to be one of the most talented milers in the nation but I think he just got stuck in a rut and the surface change woke him up. It will now be interesting to see if his connections take him back to the grass or maybe even try dirt. Being by Sunday Silence he has every right to handle it. This could be a very good year for him.

Race of the Week: I'm going to go for the Makers Mark Mile. I thought it was a fantastic duel between Kip Deville and Showing Up. It shows just how much Kip Deville has progressed this year as he really was not as good as Showing Up last year. Showing Up will surely come on for the run but I think he will spend most of his year racing further than a mile. Meanwhile Kip Deville has to be scared of no one at this point. His form over 8f is fantastic

Flop of the Weekend: I know Wait A While is best on Turf but a better performance had to be expected of her in the Jenny Wiley. She had never been on Polytrack before but there was no indication that she wouldn't like it. She has been dominant on turf and even finished third in the Kentucky Oaks on dirt. This was definitely a huge disappointment.

TCR Mover’s and Shakers: Kip Deville surges into the top 10 with his win the Makers Mark Mile. He is just shy of being the #1 ranked turf horse in the nation. Curlin moves into second in the 3yo division and is 11th overall. The only other notable mover was Mary Delaney whose success in the Madison Vinery propelled her to first place in the Filly and Mare Sprint division. But as of now they are a fairly weak bunch as she is only 25th overall. The only division that is weaker thus far is the Filly and Mare Turf division. 5 of the other 6 divisions are represented in the top 10.

Tip O’the Cap: I'm going to combine this weeks tip o'the cap and give it both Boca Grande and Shug McGaughey. I thought this filly had not gone on but Shug proved once again that he really is one of the best trainers in the game. His numbers do not look very good because he can only deal with the stock that his private owners give him but there is almost no one better in game at campaigning a horse. However the trainer can only do so much and Boca Grande has to get some plaudits for the 180 degree turn around. She looked very professional and off the evidence of that performance she could still be a factor in the division.

KC Handicapping: Although the selections broke dead even this week it did feel more like a loser. I was completely wrong about Boca Grande and Dominican. Both of whom were horses I was specifically going against. I thought the Commonwealth worked out decently. Silent Name ran the breakout I have long been expecting and Steel Light might have done better with a good trip. My picks ran 1-3-4 in that one.

Cumulative record of selected horses: 9(4)-2-1-2 ($0.00 0.00% ROI)
Overall record: 181(71)-37-29-27 (+$20.00 +5.52% ROI)