Racebook News - Mast Track Never Looks Back in Gold Cup
Posted on 6/30/2008 11:05:42 AM
By Pete Mitchell
The late defection of probable favorite Heatseeker due to a minor ankle problem left the Hollywood Gold Cup wide open. Tepid favoritism went to Go Between at 2.30-1, followed closely in the wagering by Tiago at 2.50-1, and Student Council at 3.90-1. A case could be made for the chances of each of the top three, but they had their detractors as well. One thing that became clear as the race unfolded was that there was only one horse in the race who wanted the lead. Mast Track grabbed it without much trouble, and never surrendered it, posting a mild upset and returning $23.60 to his backers for each $2 wagered.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but there were several positive factors in Mast Track’s running lines just staring us in the face. To begin with, he’s trained by Hall-of-Famer Bobby Frankel, who’s as good as anyone at getting a horse to peak for a Grade 1 race. Second, the horse has plenty of natural speed. He led or pressed the pace in his two most recent starts on polytrack, both of which came going a mile at Santa Anita. The rest of the Gold Cup field was comprised of stalkers and closers, suggesting that the early lead would be there for the taking. Third, the mount was taken by Tyler Baze, who’s especially tough on front-running types. Fourth, the blinkers were going back on, suggesting that Frankel & Co. were looking for early speed from Mast Track. Both horse and jockey delivered.
Note the official chart comments from DRF: “MAST TRACK quickly stepped to uncontested lead, under snug hold entering the backstretch, deftly rated through leisurely fractions, edged away around final bend, roused entering the stretch and padded that cushion under right hand pressure.” When a fit, talented horse is allowed to lope along on the lead, he becomes especially tough to catch, no matter how far they run. This Frankel 4-year-old is now a Grade 1 winner, and we should be hearing more from him as the season progresses. The Breeders’ Cup Classic is now squarely within his sights.
Sometimes the clues are there, we just need to be astute enough to pick up on them and capitalize. Betonline.com salutes all of our customers who cashed in on Mast Track in the Hollywood Gold Cup. Keep up the good work!
Pete Mitchell has been handicapping
horses since his teenage years. He has been a professional horse player for
many years, and came to BetOnline.com’s attention through multiple referrals
from industry insiders/sportsbook owners. Pete is revered for
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