Black Gold Week 2

Week Two was not as lucrative for either the Black Gold tip sheet (available on track where programs are sold) or the online Value Plays. The tip sheet was a mediocre 7-for-30, bringing the overall meet mark through six days to an uninspiring 16-for-60. Hopefully tip sheet players have been wagering to place, as I've had a frutsratingly high number, 19 (!), of my top choices finish second. Add in a few third-place finishes and my in-the-money mark is at 38-for-60, or 63.3%. I hadn't been following my in-the-money finishes until tonight, so I just now realized that it took 15 races from the start of the meeting before one of my top picks finished out of the top three. Not that I would have been encouraging a show parlay anyway, but I did find it interesting.

The Value Plays had an even worse week, with none of my nine suggested wagers coming in. This after starting off the first weekend hitting six out of nine and making a wad of cash for everyone. 

Worst beat of the weekend came in Sunday's finale when my top choice, Ess El You, finished a half-length in front at 8.60-1, only to be disqualified for bumping in the stretch. I thought it might be coming as I watched from the grandstand, as Ess El You was headed in deep stretch and looked beat, only to come on again and pull ahead before the wire. The comeback seemed so miraculous that I figured Ess El You must have come in on Bumda Que Brilha, and the head-on soon confirmed it. They brushed twice, and the second bump clearly knocked the legs out from under the 44-1 shot whose number was put up. The stewards made the right call, but that hardly dulled the disappointment. I did have Ess El You to place, which was nice, but my big win ticket was worthless. Also disappointing was having wheeled Ess El You in exactas with five horses, none of which was the bombster that won.