In a recent Bloodhorse.com
article by Tom LaMarra titled “Things
That Make You Go Hmmmm (12)”
, he makes an observation about
thoroughbred racing in the state of Maryland, that many who cover this industry
seem to ignore. That is, the quality of horse racing in the Free State will
dramatically improve in 2013. Here’s an excerpt from the article…
One of the upsets of the year came in
December when Maryland racing stakeholders announced a 10-year agreement on
Thoroughbred racing dates, stabling, and capital improvements before the final
week of month. ... The previous two years there were doubts Laurel Park would
open the first of year because of the lack of an agreement between horsemen and
the Maryland Jockey Club. ... Third time is the charm, I guess.
Maryland, by the way, is the
Mid-Atlantic sleeper. The two MJC tracks (Laurel and Pimlico) don't have casino gambling but, through
legislation, receive a cut that has quietly
increased purses to about $250,000 a day, with more to come. ... With
excellent racing surfaces, good stabling, and a well-thought out schedule,
Maryland will be the place to be. ... I'm probably in the minority with that
assessment but will stick by it, because the alternatives in the region pale in
comparison and are far more about casino gambling than horse racing.
Thank you Mr. LaMarra for putting these facts in print, but wished you
would have clarified that even though “The
two MJC tracks don't have casino
gambling…”, the five (5) slots parlors in the state are gearing up to offer
full-blown casino action (i.e. table games) in the latter part of 2013, thanks
to a referendum passed by voters in the recent election.
This will keep the over $5 million in Marylander gambling funds in
state, which is bad news for WV, DE and PA. Now that all Mid-Atlantic states
that have racing are back on a level playing field, look for MD tracks to
return to their glory days of pre-casino gambling.
Recapping the final posted selections at Laurel
Park from Saturday, Jan. 5th had just 4 winners from 9 races (3
Top Selections; pay-offs shown in BOLD
type) having $2 WIN pay-offs of $15.40 (3rd), $8.00 (4th), $6.20 (6th),
and $12.20 (8th).
The BEST BET of the Day (2
0-0-0) Chac Mool (5-2 PT; 7-2 M/L) on paper was lone
speed, but the race is never run on paper. A few yards out of the gate Chac
Mool found himself not on lead, as the jock on #3 – Access Love (the longest shot in the field) decided to change
tactics and go for the lead. Game Over for Chac Mool who used more energy than
initially thought to just stay ½ length behind the after 4 furlongs, and gave
way in the final 1/8th.
The LONGSHOT PICK (2 0-0-0)
Lady Outflanker (6-1 PT; 10-1 M/L) with
a jock who had put her in contention early in previous races, let her lag far
behind in this one, on a track that wasn’t being kind to deep closers. Though
she made up quite a bit of ground in the stretch, she still only managed a 5th
place finish.
For Saturday races the weather forecast calls for Mostly Cloudy
skies with just a 20% chance of precipitation, meaning the track will be FAST
at Laurel Park on Saturday Jan. 12th.
Selections for all races posted were handicapped based on making multi-race
wagers such as DOUBLE’s, Pick-3’s and Pick-4’s using all three (3) listed for each
race in each leg.
1st race – $8,000 Maiden Claiming for F&M 4 y.o. & up – 7
furlongs
#9 – Summer Court (8-1) $$$ LONGSHOT $$$
#3 – Ipanema Bay (5-1)
#7 – Spring Date (4-1)
2nd race – $16,000 Claiming for 3 y.o. – 5½ furlongs
#5 - Cowboy Cat (5-2) --- SCRATCHED ---
#6 – Video Storm (2-1)
#2 – Ronello (5-1)
#3 – Volastic (4-1)
3rd race – $5,000 Claiming for 4 y.o. OR N3L 5 y.o. & up – 6
furlongs
#2 – Flipion (9-2)
#11 – In Hot Pursuit
(3-1)
#8 – Joribe (10-1)
4th race – $10,000 Claiming for F&M 4 y.o. and up – 6 furlongs
#7 – Harbor Fox (6-5)
#2 – Unicorn Girl (6-1)
#3 – World Gone Wrong
(10-1)
5th race – $5,000 Claiming N2L for 4 y.o. & up – 5½ furlongs
#9 – Harry’s Our Hero (7-2)
#10 – Brad (5-2)
#7 – Current Design (3-1)
6th race – $18,000 Claiming for 4 y.o. & up – 6 furlongs
#7 – Manito (5-2)
#3 – Standup Comic (20-1)
#1 – Regal Revenge (8-5)
7th race – $40,000 Allowance N1X for F&M 4 y.o. & up –
about 1 1/16 miles
#1 – Greek Thunder
(9-2) *** BEST BET ***
#6 – Brimstone island (2-1)
#4 – Field Pass (5-2)
8th race – $125,000 What A Summer Stakes for F&M 4 y.o. &
up – 6 furlongs
#5 – Dance to Bristol
(3-1)
#2 – Made to Love Her (5-1)
#8 – Bold Affair (6-5)
9th race – $38,000 Maiden Special Weight for 3 y.o. fillies – 6
furlongs
#1 – Miss Moonshine (9-2)
#3 – My Cousin Zinny (4-1)
#7 – Petit Trianon (1-1)