Furlong Friday at Santa Anita

 We are back to Furlong Friday with a twist. Let's give a little "rolling show parlay" a try and attack the 10 CENT Superfecta with a different wager structure. This will be an exercise to hone our handicapping skills a bit. Time to shake things up.

We look in on a challenging Maiden Claiming sprint at that "Great Race Place".

Santa Anita Race 5 {6 Furlongs~3 year-old~Maiden Claiming}

A field of eleven will go to the gate in this mid-card event.

Past Performances used:  Equibase.

There is enough speed to produce an honest pace. Three first time starters enter the fray. Seven have already raced over the Santa Anita track. One comes off a layoff, down from Golden Gate. All but four have competed at this distance. It should be a good race.

#7 Code Breaker (Aguilar / Pederson) is our win candidate entering his third race of the form cycle. He holds the fourth highest last out speed number and two superb workouts. Look for him to track and strike. This guy has hit the board in both of his starts. A son of Desert Code, he is 100% in the money from those two starts.

$2 WIN  /  $3 PLACE  /  $5 SHOW.

#2 Unbreakable Trust (Ayuso / Sadler) is our selection to hit the board. He comes in with a decent last out speed number at a slightly longer distance and four strong peaking workouts. This lad will track the pace closely. A son of Accelerate, he is 40% in the money from five starts.

$2 SHOW.

Other Selections that should be in the Mix

 #1 Jaguar Jon (F. Alvarado / Miyadi) First time starter with excellent Jockey/Trainer stats. Son of Om looks ready to roll.

#9 Naval Harbor (A. Espinoza / Ruvalcaba) comes off a longer layoff down from Golden Gate. Son of Gig Harbor, looks poised to pounce in the closing strides.

#6 Mutt Dillin (Valdivia / Capestro) holds the second highest last out speed number. Son of Divining Rod, could be the controlling speed.

#3 El Ondeado (T. Baze / Periban) holds the highest last out speed number. This guy should track the pace closely. Another son of Om, he is 50% in the money.

#5 General Jackson (A. Lezcano / O'Neill) should show improvement in his sixth start. A son of Maximus Mischief, he will track the pace closely.

The 10 CENT Superfecta Plays

Taking a page from Brad Free's outstanding book, Handicapping 101, we will deploy the following bet structures. Each will cost $2.00 with a total outlay of $8. We are banking on our win candidate, #7 Code Breaking to perform well. Also, we desire #2 Unbreakable Trust to hit the board.

#7  //  #2  //  #1,  #9,  #6,  #3,  #5,  //  #1,  #9,  #6,  #3,  #5.

#7  //  #1,  #9,  #6,  #3,  #5  //  #2  //  #1,  #9,  #6,  #3,  #5.

#7  //  #1,  #9,  #6,  #3,  #5  //  #1,  #9,  #6,  #3,  #5  //  #2.

#2  //  #7  //  #1,  #9,  #6,  #3,  #5  //  #1,  #9,  #6,  #3,  #5.

Best of luck with all your Friday plays!!!

It's Kentucky Derby Week

 Utilizing Pro Insights in your Handicapping

Source : Richard Hurt / Full House.

A most unusual Kentucky Derby will go off this Saturday (9/5). It promises to be one of the most heart-stirring Derby's in recent memory, sans the fans. The entire card will be full of exciting races and tantalizing wagering opportunities.

The touts will be out in full-force. The wise-guys will find their Derby horse. The sharps will fire a buck, a nickel, or dime on what they perceive as best value in the race. And most importantly, the expert handicappers for various platforms and tracks will offer up their analysis and opinions for KD 146.

Who should you listen to?  Well, first you should handicap the race yourself and come to a strong opinion. Trust in your own handicapping ability. Use the pros for additional information, analysis and advice.

Speaking of the pros. Just for shites and giggles, We looked at the selections of a number of the professional handicappers to see how they performed last Friday (8/28). For this anecdotal survey of top handicappers we examined the Daily Racing Form's Playbook (drf.com) for that day and jotted down the selections of the pros from Ralph Siraco's Race Day Las Vegas radio program (racedaylasvegas.com).

Both of which have some of the best horse racing handicappers in the country.

We looked at the results from two perspectives, Wins. Who picked winners on this delightful Friday and what price did they pay? Second, how did the dividend play perform. A dividend play is merely a $2.00 show bet on each selection laid out.

Not everyone is capable of handicapping every race at every track on a given day. Sometimes it is fruitful to lean on favored pros in an attempt to build some revenue in your "dividend bank". It also helps you to determine which pros are in the zone and which are slumping. Granted this example is only anecdotal as it covers only one day. Most of these handicappers are superb horse players.

Results of Selections for Friday (10/28/2020)

The DRF team of handicapping aficionados garnerd three winners ($7 / $8 / $3.20) out of thirteen selections for a strike rate of 23%. They combined for a total of $12.80 in the dividend bank which produced a loss of ($13.20).

The Ralph Siraco stable of handicappers only provided one winner ($7.60) out of seven selections for a strike rate of 14%. They provided $8.70 for the dividend bank making a loss of ($5.30).

Which handicappers performed admirably? 

DRF Writer/handicapper, Brad Free, outperformed the entire group of pro handicappers. He selected two winners, going two for two on his Del Mar picks. Free is the author of Handicapping 101, a book that should be on every horse players book shelf. He put $5.90 in the dividend bank. Dan Illman had one winner, but two of three of his selections hit the board at Laurel, tossing in $5.60 in the dividend bank. Mike Beer, dropped $5.80 in the dividend bank as two of three of his selections at Saratoga hit the board.

Marty McGee went 0 for 2 in his Gulfstream selections. Ron Gierkink got flattened at Woodbine with his only selection. Kenny Peck goose egged at Monmouth, though one of his picks was scratched.

The Siraco group (Race Day Las Vegas) fared on par with DRF handicappers. Woodbine handicapper, Ernie Perini scored the only winner shoveling $4.50 into the dividend bank. Richard Eng, handicapper and author of the book, Horse Racing for Dummies, provided another $2.10 for the dividend bank. While ace handicapper, Jerry Jackowitz dropped $2.10 into the dividend bank.

Bomber Brad, Trip Note Pro's, and Southern California handicapper, John Lindo, all came up empty with their selections.

Takeaway

Have good confidence in your own handicapping ability. Use the pros and experts for high quality guidance and analysis that you may have missed. There are a number of great handicappers out there. Use them as a resource as you handicap future cards.

Best of luck on your KD 146 handicapping and picks.