Below if a picture of Dakota Phone. I was at the Breeders Cup at Churchill that year in 2010 when he won the Breeders Cup mile, and I had $20 to win on him, and a $1 exacta, and the $0.50 pick 3. The payout was over $1,000, and basically paid for my entire weekend, hotel, beers, and bets. Churchill Downs, as always, was amazing. The atmosphere, the people, the beer....and for a guy from KY who typically HATES California based trainers and CA breds, I was for some reason dead-set on Hollendorfer that day.....he was due for a Breeders Cup victory, I could just feel it.
The entire day, as I lost several of the preliminary races, my fiance Loretta and I kept telling our friends around us, "Don't bet against Hollendorfer's Dakota Phone in the Breeders Cup Mile, I got a feeling about this horse." While nobody else seemed to believe, we did. And we ended up winning and having a blast as Dakota Phone came screaming down the stretch to win by a nose. It was awesome.
......Had Gayego gotten second, I would have had a $1 Tri AND $1 Super (and been retired on an island, lol), so that hurt, but the Exacta, $0.50 Pick 3, and win payouts were still nice enough to break even on the weekend and pay for all of the beer.
You people from the West Coast need to go to Churchill Downs if you haven't yet. It is a great experience. I don't know why the Breeders Cup seems to favor Santa Anita these days, I wish they'd come back to where horseracing was meant to be......KENTUCKY.
The point is this:
Screw the analysis, screw the favorites, who wants to have some balls and make some money (or at least have fun losing money) this weekend.
I don't want to hear about Tapiture, Bayern, Bobby's Kitten, etc. I want horses worth a play.
I was once 3rd in the Turfway Handicapping Contest (which ends with the Kentucky Derby), and I am now 20th (out of 115 entries or so).
So I need to get back in the game and can't pick chalk.
My picks:
Keeneland - Blue Grass Stakes - Pablo Del Monte - undefeated at Keeneland (will he be bet down....hope not)
Oaklawn - Arkansas Derby - Conquest Titan - extra distance will help him close late, and the evil Calvin Borel is aboard.
Pick a longshot this weekend. Pick a horse on a feeling. But please......don't pick the favorite.....it is SO much more fun when the longshot wins by a nose, and you get a free weekend vacation.
Good luck to all.
-John
P.S. I have no idea how to blog, this is my first one. Hope there are no errors.