Its been a long time!

It's been a long while since I felt the urge to write, but when I saw the upcoming show Jockeys on Discovery's Animal Planet I became inspired once again. The shows airs tonight, Friday February 6th at 6:00pm, It takes an inside look at the lives of jockeys who compete everyday for the chance to win fame and fortune. The Santa Anita colony is the focus of the show. Back when I was writing on a more regular basis I had written about and suggested a reality show about jockeys and their lives. I even went so far as to pitch the idea to Fox Reality Television. Funny here is my idea now made into a actual show. As I watch it I will try to do updates breaking down the show and giving tid bits of information that I may know from knowing some of the guys on the show and the actual life that a jockey lives. It's too bad Kent wasn't around for the filming of this as this is right up his alley and he would have added a lot of colorful commentary. Watch the premier episode tonight and see what you think about Jockeys win or die trying, which I think is aptly named.

Del Mar Oaks

Alex Solis and Magical Fantasy light up the tote board at odds of 42-1 in Saturdays Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks. With a beautifully well timed ride Solis waited in the stretch and found room along the inside to out run Bel Air Sizzle with Clinton Potts at odds of 32-1. Potts took the overland route and ended up losing by a nose. I have ridden with and known Alex for many years. He is one of the best jockeys I know of. It's very hard to find someone who looks better on a horse and sits stiller than him. He is the ultimate athlete and takes his job very seriously. I don't think there is a fitter rider than him and he is not someone you want to hook up with down the stretch if you have no horse left. Beaten favorite Santan's Circus ridden by Garret Gomez or GO-GO as we like to call him finished out of the money and I dare say if you had money on this horse you deserve to lose this one. Really, did you think a horse with a name like that would win? Shame on you. Don't feel bad I had my share of losers on Saturday as well. Another upset took place in The Long Acres Mile at Emerald Downs when Wasserman ridden by Jennifer Whitaker came running on in the end to pick up the win at odds of 10-1. The favorite Tropic Storm ridden by Aarron Gryder finished third. I had the privilege of riding in the Long Acres Mile as a bug boy(apprentice) when was at Emerald Downs and it was a great honor to do so. Keep an eye on my old rival and running mate Jorge Martin Bourdieu as he closes in on the leader at Ruiodoso Downs. When the race for the title heats up Martin doesn't hold back.

Late pick fours

I placed one bet on Sunday at Del Mar. It was the late pick four guaranteed for a 500,000 pool. That was basically the only reason I jumped in. As I was placing my bet I saw not one but two of my dear friends with horses running in the last race. Oddly enough I met each of them through each other as they were very good friends before I was ever in the picture. Danny Valasquez was my mentor in life and in riding. He taught me all I know about racing. Anyway he had a horse in the last race at Del Mar. It was a long shot, but I will always play his horses. A little further down the program was Melody Conlin. Melody is a little trainer who learned to train horses from you guessed it Danny. Melody's horse was a favorite for the race. Now one thing I know is that for a horse trained by a little trainer like Melody to be a morning line favorite or even have low odds the horse has got to have some obvious talent. The key is who is riding her horse. You see Danny is well known and respected around the track and to see a top rider on one of his horses is not anything to talk about. Now Melody on the other hand very rarely gets top riders to climb aboard her horses, so when you see one pay attention. It's usually a sign the horse can run. Now knowing that there would be very little value in her horse I played the late pick four for value. I spent eight dollars on my ticket which I could have done for four but I couldn't leave Danny out. My ticket won and paid a whopping 121 and change. I had it a few times. Hey it's not the big payoff we would like but I'll take it. Today I am doing the same thing and am keying off of Idiot proof who I really like. Again for value purposes I am trying the late pick four. Well good luck to you all and remember if you want my picks just click on the buy button.

Louisana Downs

Imagine my surprise yesterday as I turned the channel to TVG for a little break from the news. Now normally I wouldn't have seen this race as it was still to early for Southern California racing to start which is generally what I am interested in. It was the 3 horse in the third race splitting horses in the final furlong to draw off and win the race. My initial thought was who's this guy? That was a great ride. Then TVG commentator Matt Carothers says "Patrick Valenzuela has a big smile on his face as he heads back to the winners circle." WHAT! Wait when did this happen. I heard nothing about this on www.DRF.com, www.Bloodhorse.com, www.Brisnet.com or any other of the website I visit for racing news. Was Patrick's comeback to racing kept silent or has the racing press just lost interest in him? I for one was stunned to find out that Pat is indeed back riding at Louisiana Downs. To date he has had 12 winners from 100 mounts. Not exactly setting the world on fire. From what I saw he looked good. I will definitely be watching him to see how this plays out and where it leads him. Perhaps not being in the spotlight will do him good and make a comeback to race riding easier. Maybe I just fell asleep and missed this one or maybe your as shocked to find out as me. My feelings aside I wish Pat the best on his comeback. He really is one of the greatest and most naturally gifted riders to ever sit on a horse.

And the winner is?

Well as you can see I gave out three horses yesterday. Big Brown was a given and didn't have any value to him. He won handily in the end but had to work hard to get it. I think it came down to two things. One is having a horse race fit after a layoff. It is hard to get that race fitness you need except for being raced. Though he was fit and ready to run I think he still needed a race under him. Expect his next out to be a bit more spectacular. Second was the fact that Cool Coal Man ran huge. He beats any other horse with that performance. The fractions and the times were crazy. Big Brown ran a huge race to beat him. Then there was Soupy on one of my home tracks Del Mar. If you followed my pick then you had yourself a nice 10.20 winner. Sure beats a day at work. If your interested in getting more winners for your day at the track or you just want to make a little extra money then let me know and I'll give you the winning numbers.

Monmouth Park

Monmouth Park has a spectacular 14 race card today with 8 stakes races highlighted by the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational where Big Brown is the 1/2 morning line favorite. This is a big test for the 3 year old colt making his first race back since his disappointing loss in the Belmont. Big Brown's bid for the triple crown ended when his right rear shoe was stepped on and bent. Trainer Richard Dutrow says that Big Brown will prove again today that he is the real thing. If you are looking for a little value for today you may want to look at the Grade 3 Ocean Port Stakes Ruff and Ready with jockey Joe Bravo at 7/2 on the morning line. Looking over to Del Mar I like Soupy in race #3 with jockey Tyler Baze. So there you have a few of my picks for the day. Remember if you want my Los Alamitos special selections or any of the California race tracks just use the bet button at the top of the page and e-mail me with the track or race you would like my pick for. Also if you are interested in working from home and having your own work from home business click on the link above and watch the video to see how you could start earning money from home with Never Ending Success.

Back in the saddle again!

After winning his first race back in more than a year, my good buddy Carlos Bautista is back at home in the saddle. Piloting Dr. McDreamy to a convincing win on Saturday night he has since won again on Thursday night and finishing off with a fantastic night of four winners on Friday nights card. Time certainly hasn't made him rusty as the then leading rider has come back with a vengeance. A Los Alamitos regular Carlos was glad to be back from his year long suspension. During his suspension Carlos moved him and his family to Mexico to make ends meet while not being allowed to earn a living here. Upon his return Carlos said it was great to be back here at home. Carlos arrived a week ahead of his family in order to make preparations for them to return to living in the home they had to leave behind. Riding better than he has in many years it appears the time off has helped him re-focus on what it is he does best. I think this is going to be a big year for Carlos and its good to see my friend back home.