We are in the midst of seeing a triple crown winner today! California Chrome continues to quiet the nay sayers and fuels them to give excuses for this horses because he KEEPS WINNING! I want to reiterate that this horse is a freak of nature. It has been a pleasure to watch this horse through his career and I hope that he fires today.
Who I like for this race:
Chrome is already a given here but I like other horses as well. My top graded horse to pose a possible upset is Commanding Curve, Ride on Curlin and Wicked Strong.
I like Commanding Curve because of the lay off and I like that way he has been working out. His closing style should be game here with the added distance and I think he will rate well. I also like the connections here with Trainer and Jockey who yield a 25% return in the money. Every time Bridgemohan rides this horse he gets the best out of him and closes. Beyer speeds when ridden 77, 80, 94... Steady improvement and along with rest, this horse can be there.
Ride on Curlin gets my approval here as well. I wasn't a big fan in the derby of this horse because of his lack luster Arkansas Derby and the fact that I thought there was better horses in that Kentucky Derby field. What I have learned from this horse is that he is a competitor on the track. I think we have seen his best race in the Preakness though. Should be in the money.
Wicked Strong is my next play at chrome.I think he has a bad trip in the derby and still managed 4th. I like the lay off and the familiarity of the track at Belmont. My then thought best horse on the East Coast Samraat was beat by this horse twice in the row and I have to give him respect. I like his closing speed and I'd expect him to be in the middle of the pack to close.
Horses for 3rd or 4th place money:
Samratt, Matterhorn, Tonalist
Samratt is coming off a layoff and has been working sensationally. I really think this horse could be in the money. Distance is the issue for me however if he races the race of his life I think 3rd or 4th place could be possible.
Matterhorn
While everyone will rave about Tonalist I'd look at the 4th place finisher here in this race, Matterhorn. He has a good late kick down the stretch in the slop. I like this horses Bloodlines with a Tapit influence and his Jockey/Trainer percentages are good, yielding 24 % YTD in the money. This is a Pletcher colt and this horse was very expensive at $625,000 for initial purchase.
Tonalist while this horse has great speed my concern is that the peter pan was a FLUKE. How could you say this horse is a main competitor if his most impressive race was in the slop?? To me, that isn't good enough, however 4th or 5th would be inline for me with this horse. In the video below from the race before the peter pan, this horse looked like an average horse with no kick at Gulfstream Park when he was beat by Constitution, Who if raced, I would of picked in all my tickets. With the closers in the field, I think this horse gets left in the dust but could complete some exotic tickets.
Click here to see video of that race:
http://youtu.be/Oss8GSiRY3w
My bets for race will be
$2 tri $120
2,4,7,9/2,4,7,9/2,3,4,5,7,9,11
$1 super $120
2,4,9/2,4,9/2,3,4,5,7,9,11/2,3,4,5,7,9,11
$2 WIN
California Chrome
No comments:
Post a Comment