Ready to Win
One of the best tools the astute handicapper can have at his disposal is a quick reference to horses that are sitting on a huge effort and primed to win.
You come about these conclusions after looking at bad racing luck, horrible trips, a horse that was staring into a particular bias or just performances by a certain runner that signals him as fit and ready to roll.
When a runner gets beat by a track record, he deserves a long look next time out.
Fiesty Suances was making his first start since May when he hooked record holder Square Eddie the other day and he ran super in defeat.
The veteran is not really a sprinter but he pushed a :43.47 half mile every step of the way only tiring late to run third at 35-1.
This Red Baron homebred had shown talent before he was sidelined. He won a stakes in Northern California and was Grade 2 placed at Anita. But the best thing he may have going for him is his very clever trainer Darrell Vienna, who is not only a lawyer, but also one cagey horseman.
Peruvian actor and trainer Julio Canani unveiled a first timer by Tiznow last weekend and the colt, which cost $270,000, has a bright future.
The runner drew the rail on the tricky hillside turf course going about 6 and a half furlongs and unless a runner has speed to flee that rail, the inside can be a death trap on the hill.
Sure enough, Garrett Gomez was helpless as the runner broke poorly but the rider didn’t panic.
He let the youngster settle, came running late to beat all but one home.
With a better post, this guy will be double live the next time he goes to the post.
Mark down Anthony’s Cross if he gets a chance to go 9 furlongs. Pushed wide in his California debut, he has a nice turn of late foot and has a right to mature with grace as kin to Grade 3 winner and near $225K earner Fugitive Angel.
Some horses are given races as an educational tool to begin the career and that may have been the case with debuter War Element.
Trained by Carla Gaines, this runner is out of multiple stakes winner and near $500K earner Blending Element. More importantly her half-sister Tiz Elemental won 5 of 12, was second 4 times, took 3 stakes and also earned nearly $500K.
With a clean start next time, War will show exactly what he is good for.
As far as the human element, the rider situation is nothing new as Rafael Bejarano and Joel Rosario are fighting it out for the top slot through results of January 15.
The ageless Patrick Valenzuela and Joe Talamo are sitting third and fourth as Garrett Gomez has had his fair share of bad luck so far.
One of the most underrated riders is on his way to a break out meeting. Alonso Quinonez won with 8 of his first 49 mounts to put him in a tie for 4th for the best percentage at 16%.
For years Bob Baffert moaned and groaned about how he hates the synthetics and now we all know why. As the conventional dirt has been employed at Anita this meet, he won with 14 of his first 30 starters and 9 others ran in the money.
The rest of the usual training suspects, Mike Mitchell, Doug O’Neill, Jerry Hollendorfer and John Sadler are in hot pursuit.
Don’t expect these human trends to change any time soon.
